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LATIN  AMERICA 

THE  LAND  OF  OPPORTUNITY 


A  REPRINT  OF  OFFICIAL  REPORTS 
AND  SPECIAL  ARTICLES 


^Prepared  by 

JOHN  BARRETT 

The  Director  of  the  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics 

Formerly  United  States  Minister  to  Argentina, 
Panama,  and  Colombia 


2  LAFAYETTE  SQUARE 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C,  U.  S.  A. 

1909 


LATIN  AMERICA 

THE  LAND  OF  OPPORTUNITY 


A  REPRINT  OF  OFFICIAL  REPORTS 
AND  SPECIAL  ARTICLES 


'Prepared  by 

JOHN  BARRETT 

The  Director  of  the  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics 

Formerly  United  States  Minister  to  Argentina, 
Panama,  and  Colombia 


2  LAFAYETTE  SQUARE 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  U.  S.  A. 

1909 


PRESERVATION 
COPY  ADDED 

ORIGINAL  TO  BE  '  ^ 

RETAINED 

AUG  2  6  1992; 


NOTE. 


The  material  in  this  pamphlet  is  reprinted  in  response  to  a  demand, 
which  constantly  reaches  the  International  Bureau  from  various  parts 
of  the  world,  for  one  or  all  of  the  reports  and  articles  quoted.  Each 
paper  was  originally  reprinted  in  an  individual  pamphlet,  but  the 
call  soon  exhausted  the  supply.  As  a  matter  of  economy  in  publica- 
tion, all  are  now  combined  under  one  cover.  There  is  some  repetition 
and  a  slight  divergence  of  statistical  figures  due  to  different  dates  of 
original  publication,  but  this  is  unavoidable  under  the  circumstances. 
2 


SOME  SPECIAL  PHASES  NOT  COMMONLY  CONSID^ 
ERED  OR  UNDERSTOOD  OF  THE  COMMERCIAL  AND 
GENERAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
WITH  HER  SISTER  AMERICAN  REPUBLICS. 

The  purpose  of  this  report  is  to  present  a  special  view  of  our  sister 
American  republics  and  awaken  greater  interest  throughout  the 
United  States  in  their  progress  and  development. 

The  time  is  at  hand  that  calls  for  what  might  be  termed  a  wide- 
spread Latin  American  movement  in  the  United  States.  The  com- 
mercial, economic,  and  social  conditions  of  our  southern  neighbors 
invite  our  immediate  and  particular  attention.  To  say  that  it  may  be 
"  now  or  never  "  with  Xorth  American  prestige  and  trade  in  Central 
and  South  America  is  not  a  statement  of  an  alarmist  or  pessimist. 
It  is  a  simple  and  logical  conclusion  drawn  from  a  thorough  study 
of  the  actual  situation. 

There  never  was  a  period  in  the  history  of  the  relations  of  the 
United  States  with  her  sister  American  republics  which  afforded  such 
combined  opportunity  and  necessity  as  the  present  for  the  develop- 
ment not  only  of  our  moral  influence  but  of  our  commercial  interests. 
On  the  other  hand  there  never  was  a  time  when  European  nations 
and  business  interests  put  forth  such  efforts  as  they  are  now  legiti- 
mately exerting  to  increase  their  own  prestige  and  trade  in  South 
America.  Although  the  situation  should  be  one  of  closest  rivalry 
where  the  United  States  can  and  ought  to  win,  if  it  does  not  give* 
Europe  too  long  a  start  the  advantage  now  is  decidedly  with  thft 
latter.  There  is  no  gainsaying  the  fact  that  Latin  America  to-day  is; 
strongly  inclined  to  be  more  sympathetic  in  its  actual  likes  and  dis- 
likes with  the  old  world  than  with  the  United  States,  because  of 
plain  reasons  of  race,  language,  and  association  which  are  discussed 
later  on. 

CREDIT    TO    CONSULS    AND    SPECIAL    AGENTS, 

Too  high  praise  can  not*  be  given  to  our  consuls  throughout  Latin 
America  for  their  excellent  trade  reports,  nor  too  much  credit  allotted 
to  the  special  agents  who  have  recently  visited  this  part  of  the  world 
and  carefully  described  the  commercial  conditions  and  opportunities. 

a  Published  first  in  part,  September,  1906,  when  Mr.  Barrett  was  United 
States  minister  to  Colombia,  in  the  Daily  Consular  and  Trade  Reports  of  the 
Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  and  republished  in  full,  February,  1907, 
by  the  International  Bureau  of  American  Republics. 

240988  3 


AMERICA. 


ig»V$:§p0Ety aawev6Ef  dbks^rrbt  trespass  on  their  specific  field  nor  ex- 
pect to  compete  with  them  in  figures  of  trade  exchange,  country  by 
country,  or  in  a  statement  of  articles  that  can  be  bought  or  sold.  It 
rather  discusses  other  phases  of  our  commercial,  social,  and  general 
association  as  these  affect  the  expansion  or  contraction  of  our  com- 
merce and  prestige.  We  may  go  on  writing  about  trade  opportunities 
until  doomsday,  but,  if  we  do  not  get  at  the  bottom  of  our  relation- 
ship with  Latin  Americans,  we  will  never  make  the  conquest  of  their 
markets  and  affections — an  absolutely  necessary  combination  for  per- 
manent good — which  is  the  goal  of  our  effort. 

There  are,  of  course,  many  North  Americans  doing  business  with 
or  in  Latin  America  to  whom  what  is  written  in  this  report  is  not 


NORMAL  SCHOOL,  CITY  OF  MEXICO,  MEXICO. 

In  1885  the  Mexican  Congress  appropriated  100,000  pesos  to  found  a  normal  school  in  the  capital 
of  the  Republic.  The  course  of  study  covers  a  period  of  four  years.  A  normal  school  for  girls 
was  established  in  1890. 

new.  Most  of  our  diplomatic  and  consular  representatives  are  also 
aware  of  the  facts  stated,  but  the  great  majority  of  our  people  are 
unfamiliar  with  the  true  situation  and  it  is  to  them  that  this  dis- 
cussion is  directed. 


LATIN  AMERICA   MOVING  RAPIDLY   FORWARD. 

Many  of  our  sister  republics  are  now  making  a  progress  that  chal- 
lenges the  attention  and  respect  of  the  world.  Some  of  them  are 
going  forward  with  such  splendid  energy  that  they  are  running  a 
close  race  with  the  past  records  of  the  United  States  and  the  present 
achievements  of  Japan.  Others  are  on  the  verge  of  a  progressive 


6  LATIN    AMERICA. 

growth  that  will  astonish  skeptical  critics  of  the  Latin  race  and 
delight  knowing  admirers  of  their  latent  possibilities. 

In  short,  it  is  safe  to  predict  a  forward  movement  during  the  next 
decade  for  the  Latin  American  republics  that  will  give  them  a  posi- 
tion and  prominence  among  the  nations  of  the  earth  not  thought 
possible  a  few  years  ago.  It  will  bring  to  them  a  commerce  for  which 
the  United  States  and  Europe  will  compete  with  every  resource  at 
their  command. 

That  the  writer  may  not  be  deemed  overenthusiastic  or  be  too  se- 
verely arraigned  by  pessimistic  interpreters  of  the  future,  he  desires 


I 


THE  RAILROAD  STATION  AT  SAO  PAULO,  THE  CHICAGO  OF  BRAZIL. 


It  was  built  by  the  English  company  operating  the  tidewater  railroad  over  which  is  transported  the 
larger  part  of  the  coffee  exported  through  the  port  of  Santos.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  build- 
ings of  its  kind  in  South  America  and  cost,  approximately,  $  1,500,000. 

most  humbly  to  point  out  that  all  the  predictions  he  made  ten  and 
twelve  years  ago,  while  United  States  Minister  to  Siam,  about  the 
future  of  Japan  and  the  general  commercial  development  of  the  Far 
East,  and  which  caused  him  to  be  called  many  unpleasant  names  by 
those  who  opposed  his  views,  have  more  than  come  true  in  every 
respect.  The  premises  on  which  he  based  these  predictions,  while  out- 
lined as  a  result  of  careful  study  and  investigation,  were  not  any 
more  secure  than  those  on  which  he  bases  his  faith  in  the  future  of 
Latin  America. 


LATIN    AMERICA.  7 

PRESENT    VALUE    OF    LATIN    AMERICAN    TRADE.0 

To  impress  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  are  very  practical,  the 
importance  from  a  strictly  commercial  standpoint  of  the  field  being 
discussed,  it  is  desirable  before  proceeding  further  to  give  some  gen- 
eral figures  covering  the  present  extent  and  value  of  Latin  American 
trade. 

A  careful  estimate  based  on  the  official  figures  of  1903,  1904,  and 
1905,  shows  that  the  total  foreign  trade,  exports  and  imports,  of  the 
20  Latin  American  republics  from  Mexico  and  Cuba  south  to  Argen- 
tina and  Chile,  amounts  now  annually  to  the  magnificent  and  sur- 
prising total  approximately  of  $1,800,000,000  gold.  The  exports  and 
imports  stand  about  in  the  ratio  of  5  to  3 ;  that  is,  the  former  repre- 
sent three-fifths  and  the  latter  two-fifths  of  the  total.  Exportations, 
therefore,  can  be  placed  at  about  $1,080,000,000,  and  importations  at 
$720,000,000.  Now  if  we  went  no  further  into  this  investigation, 
these  remarkable  sums  alone,  which  show  almost  a  phenomenal  ad- 
vance over  those  of  ten  years  ago,  would  be  incontrovertible  argu- 
ments in  favor  of  the  United  States  bending  its  energies  to  increase 
its  commerce  with  Latin  America.  Although  they  speak  eloquently 
in  support  of  the  writer's  contentions  about  the  trade  and  progress 
of  the  Latin  republics,  let  us  note  just  where  our  country  stands. 

EXPORTS   AND    IMPORTS    OF   THE   UNITED    STATES. 

The  total  exports  of  the  United  States  in  1905  to  Latin  America 
were  valued  at  $182,000,000;  the  total  imports  from  Latin  America 
to  the  United  States  at  $309,000,000.  This  means  that  there  is  an 
annual  balance  of  $127,000,000  against  the  United  States  which  Latin 
America,  in  turn,  uses  to  buy  a  vast  quantity  of  articles  in  the  more 
enterprising  markets  of  Europe.  Considering  the  greatness  of  the 
United  States,  the  variety  of  its,  manufactures  and  products,  and  its 
conditions  of  demand  and  supply,  there  is  no  valid  reason  why  it 
should  not  now  sell  to  Latin  America  as  much  as  it  purchases  from  it. 

If  we  study  the  exports  and  imports -of  the  United  States  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  we  find  additional  proof  that  we  are  not  carrying 
on  the  trade  with  Latin  America  that  we  ought  to  conduct.  Only 
10  per  cent  of  our  huge  total  of  exports  went  to  Latin  America  in 
1905,  although  the  latter's  imports  are  valued  at  over  $1,000,000,000; 
and  only  20  per  cent  of  our  immense  total  of  imports  found  their 
origin  in  that  part  of  the  world  whose  exports  are  valued  at 
$720,000,000. 

a  Later  figures  appear  in  other  articles  reprinted  in  this  pamphlet. 


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LATIN    AMERICA.  9 

LATIN    AMERICA    AND    THE    FAR    EAST    COMPARED, 

The  markets  of  the  Orient  are  of  vast  importance  to  the  United 
States,  but  it  can  not  be  successfully  contended  that  they  will  be  per- 
manently more  valuable  to  us  than  those  of  Latin  America,  just 
because  the  former  at  the  present  moment  buys  more  from  us  than 
the  latter.  If  we  had  devoted  one-third  of  the  energy  and  spent 
one-tenth  of  the  money  in  developing  our  interests  in  our  sister 
republics  that  we  have  in  the  Far  East,  our  trade  with  Latin  America 
would  be  double  what  it  is  with  the  east  coast  of  Asia.  The  total 
value  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  Latin  America,  having  a  com- 


THE  CHURCH  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO,  QUITO,  ECUADOR. 

It  is  one  of  the  largest  and  oldest  convents  of  the  capital.    The  city  is  situated  near  the  equator,  at 
an  altitude  of  9,371  feet,  and  has  recently  been  connected  by  rail  with  the  coast. 

paratively  small  population,  is  far  in  excess  of  that  of  the  Far  East, 
north  of  Hongkong,  having  an  enormous  population.  Argentina, 
with  only  6,000,000  people,  bought  and  sold  more  in  1905  than  China 
with  300,000,000,  or  Japan  with  40,000,000.  The  foreign  commerce 
of  Chile,  whose  population  does  not  exceed  3,500,000,  was  greater  than 
that  of  eastern  Siberia,  Korea,  Siam,  Indo-China,  and  the  Philip- 
pines combined,  with  a  population  of  50,000,000. 

The  writer  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  trade  development  with  the 
Far  East  and  has  always  labored  hard  to  awaken  interest  in  its  vast 


10 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


potentialities  ever  since  he  first  went  to  Asia  as  American  minister 
in  1894.  These  facts  are  stated,  therefore,  not  to  decry  in  the  least 
the  value  and  importance  of  our  commerce  there,  but  to  emphasize 
by  comparison  the  value  and  importance  of  the  opportunity  in  Latin 
America. 

APPRECIATION    OF    LATIN    AMERICA. 

The  writer  admits  that  he  seems  to  speak  with  an  element  of 
prejudice.  Frankly  he  likes  Latin  America  and  Latin  peoples.  The 
more  he  sees  of  them  the  better  he  respects  them.  Would  that  more 
North  Americans  could  become  better  acquainted  with  South  Ameri- 


THE  AUTOMOBILE  IN  URUGUAY. 

The  French  car  predominates  in  Uruguay,  as  in  Brazil,  Argentina,  and  other  South  American 
Republics.  Well  paved  streets  and  suburban  roads  in  and  around  Montevideo  make  motoring  a 
popular  pastime. 

cans,  study  more  intimately  their  impulses,  ambitions,  hopes,  achieve- 
ments, and  see  things  from  the  Latin  American  standpoint.  Other- 
wise expressed,  it  would  be  a  signal  blessing  to  international  Pan- 
American  accord  and  it  would  inaugurate  a  new  era  immediately  in 
the  relations  of  the  United  States  with  her  sister  American  republics, 
if,  in  thinking,  writing,  and  speaking  of  them,  their  peoples,  and 
their  politics,  we  could  follow  the  old  Biblical  adage  and  remove  the 
beam  from  our  own  eye  before  looking  for  the  mote  in  that  of  the 
Latin  American.  Of  this  very  important  point  more  will  be  said 
later  on. 


LATIN    AMERICA.  11 

A    CRITICAL   TIME    FOR    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

This  report  is  phrased  in  direct  and  earnest  terms  because  the 
writer  believes  what  he  says.  As  suggested  in  the  first  paragraph, 
he  holds  that  the  United  States  has  reached  a  most  critical  period  in 
its  relations  with  Latin  America.  What  is  done  or  accomplished 
during  the  next  few  years  may  determine  forever  the  relative  position 
of  North  American  trade  and  prestige  in  Central  and  South  America. 
The  Pan-American  Conference  in  Rio  Janeiro  and  the  visit  of  Sec- 
retary Root  to  South  America  should  awaken  sufficient  interest 
throughout  the  United  States  in  this  part  of  the  world  to  inspire  our 
people,  in  general,  and  our  newspapers,  our  manufacturers,  our  mer- 
chants, our  Congressmen,  our  travelers,  and  our  students  of  foreign 
intercourse,  in  particular,  to  a  new  and  active  appreciation  of  the 
Latin  American  republics. 

Without  half  the  reason  we  have  for  improving  the  opportunity, 
European  commercial,  financial,  and  diplomatic  interests,  with  com- 
mendable judgment  and  spirit  which  we  can  not  criticise  but  must 
admire,  are  alive  to  the  situation  and  doing  everything  legitimately 
in  their  power  to  gain  a  hold  of  which  they  can  not  be  dispossessed. 
They  keenly  realize  the  present  and  future  possibilities  of  the  mate- 
rial and  economic  exploitation  of  Latin  America,  and  they  are  leav- 
ing no  stone  unturned  to  gain  the  necessary  advantages  before  the 
manufacturers  and  tradesmen  of  the  United  States  suddenly  become 
aroused  to  the  situation  and  compete  for  its  control. 

FACTORS    UNFAVORABLE    TO    NORTH    AMERICA. 

The  first  great  factor  unfavorable  to  North  American  trade  and 
influence  in  Latin  America  is  the  essential  difference  in  lineage  and 
language,  but  this  point  is  little  appreciated.  The  power  of  simi- 
larity in  race  and  tongue  is  mighty.  Kinship  in  these  respects  brings 
men  closer  together.  It  makes  them  more  sympathetic,  and  this 
counts  much  in  Latin  countries.  The  average  North  American,  in- 
stead of  carefully  studying  methods  of  counterbalancing  these  con- 
ditions adverse  to  his  progress  in  Latin  America  and  of  adapting 
himself  thereto,  undertakes  an  independent  line  of  action  and 
ultimately  fails  in  his  purpose. 

The  second  great  factor  is  corollary  to  the  first,  and  it  is  one  of 
which,  in  our  seeming  abundance  of  knowledge  and  self-confidence, 
wre  are  lamentably  ignorant.  Frankly  termed  it  should  be  called 
the  "  holier  than  thou "  attitude,  too  commonly  and  persistently 
assumed  by  North  American  statesmen,  newspapers,  writers,  travelers, 
and  business  agents  when  discussing  or  dealing  with  Latin  America. 
In  other  words,  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  too  much  and 
too  characteristically  "  patronized  "  the  peoples,  customs,  institutions, 


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LATIN   AMERICA.  13 

achievements  and  governments  of  their  sister  American  nations.  Per 
contra,  we  should  give  Latin  America  more  credit  for  its  actual  and 
praiseworthy  progress  in  developing  stable  national  and  municipal 
government,  in  promoting  both  high  class  and  general  education,  in 
making  its  own  excellent  literature,  historical  and  romantic,  in  ad- 
vancing scientific  investigation  and  invention,  in  solving  grave  social 
and  economic  problems,  "and  comprehensively  striving  under  difficult 
conditions  to  reach  a  higher  standard  of  civilization. 

OUR   IGNORANCE   OF   LATIN   AMERICA. 

How  few  North  Americans  realize  that  Latin  American  history 
during  the  last  four  centuries  is  replete  with  incident  and  event, 
names,  and  results  that  compare  creditably  with  those  of  the  United 
States,  Europe,  and  Asia.  How  few  know  the  names  of  the  great 
heroes,  statesmen,  writers,  and  scholars  who  have  figured  prominently 
in  evolving  the  Latin  America  of  to-day.  How  few  are  aware  that 
the  principal  countries  and  capitals  of  Latin  America  have  groups 
of  eminent  scholars,  scientists,  and  philosophers,  as  well  as  univer- 
sities and  professional  schools,  which  are  no  less  advanced  than  simi- 
lar groups  and  institutions  in  the  United  States  and  Europe. 

How  few  North  Americans,  moreover,  of  high  position  in  public 
life,  in  literary,  scholastic,  and  scientific  circles,  visit  Latin  America 
and  exchange  courtesies  with  their  fellow-statesmen  and  students, 
as  they  do  with  those  of  Europe.  No  greater  blessing  to  Pan-Ameri- 
can accord  could  now  be  bestowed  than  an  exchange  of  actual  visits 
and  views  of  the  leaders  of  Pan-American  thought  and  action.  Latin 
America  is  too  much  accustomed  to  seeing  and  meeting  only  those 
North  Americans  who  are  intent  on  making  money,  securing  this 
and  that  concession,  and  thinking  only  of  selfish  material  considera- 
tions and  a  return,  with  pockets  filled,  as  soon  as  possible  to  the 
United  States. 

A  change,  a  renaissance  in  "higher  class  association,  acquaintance, 
and  friendship,  will  not  only  start  an  era  of  good  will  and  better 
mutual  appreciation,  but  indirectly  prove  an  extraordinary  advantage 
to  commerce  and  trade.  European  countries  long  ago  realized  the 
distinct  advantage  of  such  intercourse  with,  and  knowledge  of,  Latin 
America  and  have  improved  every  opportunity  to  promote  more 
intimate  acquaintance. 

NORTH   AMERICANS    MUST  LEARN   OTHER   LANGUAGES. 

As  to  language  it  is  difficult  to  write  with  patience.  So  small  is 
the  percentage  of  North  Americans  visiting  Latin  America  on  busi- 
ness or  pleasure  who  speak  Spanish,  or  Portuguese,  or  French,  that  it 


LATIN    AMERICA.  15 

is  a  wonder  that  the}-  make  any  progress  in  their  plans.  Ninety-five 
per  cent  of  the  Europeans  who  go  to  Central  and  South  America 
understand  one  of  these  tongues.  French  is  mentioned  because  nearly 
all  the  well-educated  Latin  Americans  speak  that  language.  This  sub- 
ject requires  no  argument — it  is  simply  impossible  for  the  North  Amer- 
ican who  knows  none  of  these  languages  to  become  thoroughly  "  sim- 
patico  "  and  to  master  the  Latin  point  of  view  in  either  commercial  or 
political  relations.  I  would  that  both  our  business  schools  and  regular 
colleges  might  make  the  study  of  either  Spanish,  French,  or  Portu- 
guese compulsory  in  order  to  receive  a  diploma.  Portuguese  is  more 
important  than  is  generally  regarded,  because  it  is  the  working  lan- 
guage of  Brazil — and  Brazil  to-day  is  taking  rank  as  one  of  the 
great  nations  of  the  world ;  but  the  average  well-to-do  Brazilian  also 
speaks  French. 

LACK  OF  FAST  STEAMSHIP  FACILITIES. 

In  studying  the  causes  that  act  as  deterrents  to  Pan-American 
accord  we  must  emphasize  the  lack  of  first-class  passenger  and  mail 
steamship  service,  such  as  characterizes  the  systems  of  communication 
between  Europe  and  Latin  America.  The  long-established  and  well- 
defined  association  of  Latin  Americans  with  Europe  has  been  im- 
measurably encouraged  by  the  excellence  of  steamship  facilities,  which 
have  given  them  ready  access  to  the  satisfactory  conditions  found 
there  in  turn  for  business  transactions,  education  of  families,  and 
enjoyment  of  leisure  and  travel.  If  the  average  merchant  and  trav- 
eler of  South  America  could  reach  New  York  with  the  same  comfort 
and  speed  that  he  can  proceed  to  Paris,  there  would  be  at  once  a  vast 
and  radical  change  in  the  situation  favorable  to  the  United  States. 

This  statement  is  not  introduced  as  an  argument  for  a  "  subsidized  " 
merchant  marine.  The  writer  is  not  discussing  the  pros  and  cons 
of  that  mooted  issue.  He  is  simply  stating  a  fact  and  describing  a 
condition.  That  there  is  not  one  first-class  mail  and  passenger 
steamer  flying  the  American  flag  and  running  between  New  York 
in  the  United  States  and  such  important  South  American  points  as 
Rio  Janeiro  and  Buenos  Aires  was  given  glaring  prominence  by  the 
experience  of  the  delegates  to  the  recent  Pan-American  Conference 
in  Rio  Janeiro.  Only  a  few  took  accommodations  on  the  foreign  ves- 
sels that  make  direct  trips  from  New  York  to  the  great  capital  of 
Brazil.  All  the  others  went  via  Europe,  where  six  different  lines 
provide  a  score  of  splendid,  modern,  up-to-date,  fast  ships  between 
the  principal  ports  and  those  of  South  America. 

No  Latin-American  merchant  or  capitalist  is  going  to  North  Amer- 
ica on  slow  boats  when  there  are  numerous  fast  steamers  bound  for 
Europe  with  as  fine  arrangements  as  our  trans- Atlantic  liners.  This 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


17 


is  axiomatic,  but  it  means  the  loss  of  millions  of  dollars  of  trade  to 
the  United  States  every  year,  according  to  the  direct  testimony  of 
South  Americans  themselves.  It  is  true  that  there  are  excellent 
freight-steamship  facilities  between  North  and  South  American  ports, 
but  they  do  not  meet  the  passenger  requirements  any  more  than  would 
a  purely  railway  freight  service  suit  the  passenger  traffic  between 
New  York  and  Chicago." 


MONROE  PALACE,  RIO  DE  JANEIRO,  BRAZIL. 

The  Brazil  Building  at  the  St.  Louis  Exposition,  removed  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  erected  on  the 

Avenida  Central. 

REVOLUTIONARY  MOVEMENTS  EXAGGERATED. 

Too  much  importance  is  now  attached  in  the  United  States  to  the 
idea  that  revolutions  prevail  all  over  Latin  America  and  that,  there- 
fore, commerce  and  investments  are  insecure.  This  conception  of 
Latin  America  as  a  whole  is  entirely  erroneous  and  does  our  pro- 

a  Since  the  above  was  written  a  foreign  steamship  company  has  put  on  sev- 
eral new  boats  of  good  passenger  accommodations. 

88812 — 09 2 


18  LATIN    AMERICA. 

gressive  sister  republics  a  great  injustice.  The  continent  of  South 
America  to-day  is  free  of  serious  insurrectionary  movements,  with 
few,  if  any,  indications  of  more  civil  wars.  The  recent  conflict  in 
Central  America  was  unfortunate,  but  it  served  to  emphasize  the 
firm  peace  and  prosperity  of  Mexico.  The  tendency  of  public  opinion 
and  the  powerful  influence  of  large  business  interests  in  such  great 
nations  as  Mexico,  Brazil,  Argentina,  Chile,  and  Peru  is  all  against 
revolutionary  movements,  and,  although  now  and  then  some  slight 
sporadic  attempt  shows  itself,  it  is  most  difficult  for  it  to  grow  into 
dangerous  proportions.  Then,  again,  the  gridironing  of  these  coun- 
tries with  railways  permits  the  immediate  sending  of  troops  to  any 
place  and  crushing  without  delay  incipient  revolts. 

OTHER    IMPORTANT    CONSIDERATIONS. 

Having  enlarged  upon  some  of  the  most  important  general  con- 
siderations bearing  on  our  commercial  and  friendly  relations  with 
Latin  America,  it  is  now  well  to  enumerate,  without  comment,  a  few 
specific  but  still  interesting  agencies  that  demand  attention,  improve- 
ment, or  development,  such  as — 

(a)  The  extension  of  the  work  and  sphere  of  usefulness  of  the 
International  Bureau  of  American  Republics  in  Washington,  D.  C. ; 

(b)  The  invariable  appointment  of  men  of  culture  and  refinement, 
combined  with  energy  and  tact,  as  ministers  and  consuls  to  Latin 
American  capitals  and  ports  ; 

(c)  The  sending  of  business  representatives  or  traveling  salesmen 
who  are  always  gentlemen  and  speak  Spanish,  Portuguese,  or  French ; 

(d)  The   manufacture    in    the   United    States    or    adaptation   of 
articles  to  suit  the  local  Latin  American  demand ; 

(e)  The  giving  of  credit  to  reliable  purchasers,  as  is  done  by 
European  shippers,  instead  of  always  exacting  payment  in  advance 
or  on  shipment ; 

(/)  The  use  of  greater  care  in  packing  goods  for  the  long  distance 
to  be  traveled,  for  the  severe  changes  of  climate,  and  for  the  size  of 
parcels  required  in  different  markets; 

(g)  The  opening  of  North  American  banks,  or  branches  thereof, 
in  the  principal  cities  of  South  America  ; 

(A)  The  inducing  of  young  Latin  Americans  to  come  to  our  tech- 
nical and  professional  schools  instead  of  going  to  those  of  Europe ; 

(«')  The  popularizing  in  our  schools  and  colleges  of  the  study  of 
Latin  languages,  history,  institutions,  etc. ; 

(j)  The  early  building  of  Pan-American  railway  connections  so 
that  North,  Central,  and  South  America  may  be  literally  united  with 
ties  of  steel ; 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


19 


(7i-)  The  investment  of  North  American  capital  in  the  resources, 
mines,  industries,  and  in  the  construction  of  railways,  tramway,  and 
electric-light  plants,  in  the  more  peaceful  and  progressive  countries 
of  South  American ;  and 

(I)  The  correction,  through  the  careful  diplomacy  of  our  ministers 
and  consuls  and  the  just  policies  and  methods  of  our  business  men,  of 
the  false  impressions  in  regard  to  the  intentions  of  the  United  States 
toward  Latin  America  as  existing  in  the  minds  of  some  Latin  Amer- 
ican editors  and  publicists,  and  the  gradual  development,  in  place 


PETROPOLIS,  A  MOUNTAIN  SUBURB  OF  RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

Here  the  foreign  diplomats  make  their  permanent  homes  because  of  the  delightful  climate  and  the 

proximity  to  the  capital. 

thereof,  of  a  kindly  attitude  toward  their  Yankee  sister  republic  so 
often  described  as  the  "  Yankee  Colossus  "  and  "  Yankee  Peril." 

In  conclusion  I  have  only  to  submit  humbly  that  I  hope  every 
person  whose  interest  in  the  relations  of  the  United  States  with  the 
Latin  American  Republics  may  have  been  awakened  or  increased  by 
this  little  study  of  the  situation  may  find  time  to  visit  Latin 
America — to  make  the  "  grand  tour,"  like  Secretary  Root,  down  the 
Atlantic  coast  and  up  the  Pacific,  or  vice  versa,  via  Argentine  and 
Chile,  and  confirm  with  his  own  eyes  the  truth  of  all  that  I  have 
related. 


BOLIVAR'S  STATUE,   BOLIVAR  SQUARE,   CARACAS. 
(Courtesy  of  the  Venezuelan  Government.) 


™ 


A  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA,  OUR  NEIGHBOR  CON- 
TINENT—THE FABULOUS  RICHES  LOCKED  UP  IN  ITS  FOR- 
ESTS, PLAINS,  AND  MOUNTAINS— TREMENDOUS  POSSIBILITIES 
OF  DEVELOPMENT,  MUCH  OF  WHICH  HAS  ALREADY  BEGUN. 

South  America  is  distinctly  the  land  of  to-morrow.  It  is  a  conti- 
nent of  vast  and  varied  possibilities.  The  traveler  and  the  scholar 
or  the  merchant  and  the  promoter  will  find  its  people,  problems,  and 
potentialities  of  compelling  interest.  And  yet  the  ignorance  prevail- 
ing generally  throughout  the  United  States  in  regard  to  this  great 
southern  continent  is  almost  appalling.  The  average  American, 
with  all  his  close  study  of  Europe  and  Asia,  has  neglected  the  history, 
growth,  and  characteristics  of  our  sister  American  republics.  He  has 
been  so  absorbed,  moreover,  by  our  own  astounding  material  progress 
and  our  home  politics  that  he  has  given  no  heed  to  the  industrial  and 
economic  movements  and  to  the  administrative  achievements  of  South 
America. 

Now,  the  whole  world  is  beginning  to  turn  its  eyes  southward. 
Europe  has  been  gazing  thither  longer  than  the  United  States — and 
has  results  to  show  for  her  attitude.  Even  Japan,  China,  South 
Africa,  and  Australia  are  discussing,  more  than  we  appreciate  in 
the  United  States,  the  valuable  opportunity  for  the  extension  of  their 
commerce  and  trade  with  that  wealthy,  resourceful  continent  which 
is  so  accessible  by  either  the  Atlantic  or  the  Pacific.  More  attention 
is  given  by  the  press  of  Europe  to  South  America  in  a  week  than  by 
all  the  papers  of  the  United  States  in  a  year.  There  are  many  signs 
of  increased  interest,  however,  throughout  this  country. 

The  International  Bureau  of  American  Republics  at  Washington, 
of  which  the  writer  is  the  Director,  finds  particular  evidence  of  this 
wider  interest  through  the  growth  and  nature  of  its  correspond- 
ence. The  Bureau,  founded  sixteen  years  ago  (1890)  by  the  first 
Pan-American  Conference,  over  which  James  G.  Elaine  presided,  is 
maintained  by  the  21  republics  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  each  of 
Avhich  contributes  annually  a  certain  sum  in  proportion  to  its  popu- 
lation. Their  diplomatic  representatives  in  Washington  constitute 
its  governing  board,  of  which  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United 
States  is  chairman  ex  officio. 

Although  the  Bureau  has  done  excellent  work  in  the  past,  its 
responsibility  and  programme  were  broadly  enlarged  at  the  third 
Pan-American  Conference,  held  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  last  summer.  It 
is  the  intention  of  the  International  Union  of  American  Republics — 

a  Reprinted  from  Munsey's  Magazine,  June,  1907. 

21 


22 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


the  official  name  that  represents  their  united  action — to  make  the 
Bureau  a  practical,  world-recognized  office  and  agency  not  only  to 
build  up  commerce  and  trade  among  all  the  American  republics,  but 
to  promote  closer  relations,  to  establish  more  friendly  intercourse,  to 
bring  about  a  better  understanding  one  of  the  other,  and  to  assist  the 
approach  to  one  another  on  the  educational,  intellectual,  moral,  and 
social  as  well  as  material  and  commercial  side.  This  is  an  ambitious 
scheme,  but  it  is  all  possible  of  attainment. 

The  most  encouraging  feature  of  the  new  interest  in  the  Bureau's 
work  is  Andrew  Carnegie's  generous  gift  of  $750,000,  with  which  to 


THE  PAVILION  FOR  ZEBUS  AT  THE  ZOOLOGICAL  GARDENS,  BUENOS  AIRES,  ARGENTINE 

REPUBLIC. 

The  Zoological  Gardens  are  situated  in  the  large  and  beautiful  Palmero  Park,  which  comprises  an 
area  of  about  1,000  acres.  The  grounds  are  artistically  laid  out,  and  there  are  a  number  of  artificial 
lakes,  as  well  as  attractive  walks  lined  with  shrubbery  and  trees.  The  principal  species  of  animals 
are  housed  in  separate  building*.  These  gardens  become  popular  resorts  on  Sundays  and  holidays, 
at  which  time  thousands  of  people  visit  them  to  inspect  and  admire  the  large  collection  of  animals. 

erect  a  permanent  home,  or  Temple  of  Peace,  as  he  appropriately 
names  it.  This  large  sum,  with  the  amounts  appropriated  by  the 
United  States  and  other  American  governments  for  the  site — about 
$250,000— provides  the  Bureau  with  $1,000,000  for  a  new  plant  and 
equipment.  Facing  the  so-called  White  Lot,  below  the  White  House 
and  State,  War,  and  Navy  building,  in  Washington,  a  structure  will 
be  erected,0  not  only  noble  in  architecture  and  helpful  in  the  con- 

a  It  is  now  (July,  1909)  nearly  completed,  and  will  be  occupied  in  November, 
1909. 


LATIN   AMERICA.  23 

summation  of  the  Burnham  plan  for  beautifying  the  capital,  but 
also  suited  in  every  way  to  the  practical  carrying  out  of  the  work  of 
the  Bureau. 

South  America  has  many  extraordinary  features  of  natural  and 
artificial  development  that  surprise  the  uninformed.  For  example: 
How  many  people  realize  that  Brazil  could  completely  cover  the 
United  States  proper  and  still  have  room  for  another  New  England, 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia  combined ;  that  out  of  the 
Amazon  River  flows  every  day  three  times  the  volume  of  water  which 
flows  from  the  Mississippi,  and  out  of  the  Parana  twice  that  of  the 
North  American  queen  of  waters.  These  great  South  American 
streams  afford  incomparable  opportunities  for  interior  navigation 
and  the  development  of  commerce. 

The  North  American  does  not  stop  to  think,  when  he  remembers  the 
old  geographical  story  about  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 
and  the  threadbare  legends  of  yellow  fever,  that  this  capital  of 
Brazil  now  has  a  population  of  900,000,  and  is  growing  as  fast  as 
Boston,  St.  Louis,  or  Baltimore ;  that  it  spent  more  money  for  public 
improvements  last  year  than  any  city  in  the  United  States  excepting 
New  York ;  and  that  to-day  it  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  national 
centers  of  civilization,  industry,  art,  literature,  and  education  in  the 
world. 

Again,  how  many  North  Americans  know  that  Buenos  Aires,  the 
capital  of  Argentina,  is  the  largest  city  in  the  world  south  of  the 
equator;  that  it  is  the  second  Latin  city,  ranking  after  Paris,  in  all 
the  world ;  that  it  now  has  a  population  of  1,200,000  and  is  growing 
faster  than  any  city  in  the  United  States  excepting  New  York  or 
Chicago  ? 

If  surprised  at  this  statement,  they  might  be  interested  to  learn 
that  in  Buenos  Aires  is  the  finest  and  costliest  structure  in  the 
world  used  exclusively  by  one  newspaper,  the  home  of  "  La  Prensa;  " 
the  most  magnificent  opera  hoilse  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  costing 
more  than  $10,000,000  and  erected  by  the  Government;  the  hand- 
somest and  largest  clubhouse  in  the  world — that  of  the  Jockey  Club ; 
the  most  expensive  system  of  artificial  docks  in  all  America,  repre- 
senting an  expenditure  of  $50,000,000. 

At  Lima,  Peru,  and  at  Cordoba,  in  Argentina,  are  universities 
whose  foundations  antedate  Harvard  and  Yale.  There  are  so 
many  other  high  educational  institutions  which  go  back  to  the  six- 
teenth century  that  we  fully  appreciate  the  compliment  Secretary 
Root  paid  to  South  America  when  he  said  that  the  "  newer  "  civiliza- 
tion of  North  America  had  much  to  learn  from  the  "  older  "  civiliza- 
tion of  South  America.  Among  the  ruins  of  the  Incas  in  Peru, 
Ecuador,  and  Bolivia  are  evidences  of  a  wonderful  age  of  material 
and  intellectual  development  that  long  preceded  the  Spanish  Con- 


LEZAMA  PARK,    BUENOS  AIRES. 

This  is  one  of  the  popular  parks  of  the  city.  Its  location  on  a  beautiful  hill  is  picturesque, 
from  which  can  be  seen  the  surrounding  suburbs  of  La  Boca  and  Barracas,  and  a  long 
stretch  of  La  Plata  River.  The  Russian  church  is  shown  in  the  background  of  this  view. 


LATIN   AMERICA.  25 

quest,  and  are  equaled  in  North  America  only  by  the  similar  ruins 
of  the  Aztecs  in  Mexico. 

Referring  now  to  exceptional  commercial  phases  of  South  Ameri- 
can development,  there  are  some  remarkable  points  to  be  borne 
in  mind.  It  is  predicted  that  within  one  or  two  years  Argentina 
will  export  more  wheat  than  the  United  States.  Two  other  startling 
possibilities  are  linked  with  this:  One  is,  that  refrigerated  beef, 
grown  and  killed  in  Argentina,  will  soon  be  shipped  to  New  York, 
and  will  there  be  sold  under  the  present  so-called  trust  prices;  and 
the  other  is  that  in  a  decade  the  northern  section  of  Argentina  will 
become  a  great  cotton-growing  country,  competing  successfully  with 
our  Southern  States. 

REMARKABLE  RAILWAY  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  North  American  railroad  man  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
between  Chile  and  Argentina  is  being  constructed  one  of  the  long 
tunnels  of  the  world.  The  highest  points  and  most  difficult  construc- 
tion that  have  ever  been  encountered  in  railway  extension  are  found 
in  Peru. 

All  over  South  America  elaborate  programmes  for  new  railroads 
are  being  worked  out.  Argentina  is  already  gridironed  with  excel- 
lent systems.  Chile  is  pushing  lines  in  all  directions.  Brazil  is 
preparing  to  penetrate  her  vast  jungles  and  connect  distant  points 
with  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Bolivia  is  spending  more  than  $50,000,000  in 
new  work,  while  Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru,  Uruguay,  Paraguay,  and 
Venezuela  are  considering  various  practical  and  needed  plans  for 
new  construction. 

Throughout  the  United  States  interest  is  growing  in  favor  of  build- 
ing, or  aiding  to  build,  a  Pan-American  railway,  or  connections,  that 
will  literally  unite  North  and  South  America  with  ties  and  bands 
of  steel.  A  permanent  committee,  created  by  the  second  Pan-Ameri- 
can Conference,  at  Mexico,  in  1D01-2,  and  continued  by  the  third  con- 
ference, at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  in  1906,  has  at  its  head  such  men  as  ex- 
Senator  Henry  G.  Davis,  of  West  Virginia,  and  Andrew  Carnegie, 
who  not  only  are  deeply  interested  in  its  consummation,  but  have  the 
money  themselves  to  undertake  the  work,  if  necessary.  Charles  M. 
Pepper,  an  authority  on  South  American  matters,  recently  made  a 
careful  study  of  the  plan,  and  gave  his  conclusions  in  an  elaborate 
favorable  report.  Elihu  Root,  Robert  Bacon,  and  W.  I.  Buchanan 
approve  the  project. 

The  average  North  American  may  not  realize  that  a  perpendicular 
line  drawn  south  from  the  Statue  of  Liberty  in  New  York  Harbor 
would  find  nearly  all  of  South  America  to  the  east  of  it.  This  admis- 
sion sorely  distresses  the  person  who  thinks  of  South  America  as 
directly  south  of  the  United  States,  but  it  is  true  nevertheless. 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


27 


Likewise,  few  stop  to  think  that  northeastern  South  America 
bulges  out  so  far  into  the  Atlantic  that  it  is  necessary  for  a  ship  or 
traveler  from  a  North  Atlantic  port  to  proceed  eastward  a  distance 
about  equal  to  that  of  going  to  England  or  France  before  rounding 
this  bulging  point  and  continuing  southward  to  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
Montevideo,  and  Buenos  Aires.  South  America  in  its  relation  to 
North  America  ought  really  to  be  called  "  Southeast  America." 

On  the  map,  as  we  commonly  study  it,  South  America  looks  much 
smaller  than  North  America.  If  we  omit  the  great  barren,  frozen  end 
of  North  America,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  leave  out  Alaska,  South 
America  would,  in  fact,  entirely  cover  North  America  from  Panama 


RAILWAY  STATION,  PORT  AU  PRINCE,  HAITI. 

Port  au  Prince  is  connected  by  rail  with  1'Etang-Saumatre  and  Lake  Assuei.  A  railway  is  also  under 
construction  between  the  city  and  Gonaives.  Other  lines  building  will  join  the  capital  with  Cape 
Haitien  and  Pen-in. 

to  Bering  Sea.  Although  we  think  of  South  America  as  possessing 
a  large  waste  area  due  to  tropical  heat,  this  portion  is  not  any  more 
extensive  than  that  of  North  America  lying  barren  under  lasting 
snows  or  continued  cold.  The  Tropics,  moreover,  as  a  result  of  mar- 
velous vegetation,  will  support  a  great  population,  while  the  severely 
cold  regions  must  always  be  thinly  populated. 

SURPRISING   COMPARISONS    OF    AREA. 

Comparisons  often  help  us  to  grasp  the  size  of  unknown  portions 
of  the  world.  Brazil  has  already  been  mentioned  as  exceeding  the 
United  States  proper  in  extent — the  exces  in  favor  of  Brazil  being 
about  200,000  square  miles,  or  four  times  the  area  of  New  York. 


28  LATIN    AMERICA. 

In  Argentina,  located  in  the  South  Temperate  Zone,  with  a  cli- 
mate like  that  of  the  United  States,  could  be  placed  all  that  part  of 
our  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  plus  the  first  tier  of  States 
west  of  it. 

Bolivia  is  comfortably  half  a  dozen  times  larger  than  the  com- 
bined areas  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Delaware. 

Into  Chile  could  be  put  four  Nebraskas. 

Peru  would  obscure,  if  placed  over  them  on  the  map,  California, 
Oregon,  Washington,  Nevada,  Arizona,  Utah,  and  Idaho. 

Paraguay  is  only  four  times  bigger  than  the  State  of  Indiana, 
while  little  Uruguay  could  wrap  within  its  limits  North  Dakota. 

Texas  could  be  lost  twice  in  Venezuela  and  still  leave  room  for 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

On  the  globe,  Ecuador  does  not  spread  like  a  giant,  but  it  could 
hold  all  New  England,  New  York,  and  New  Jersey. 

Finally,  there  is  Colombia,  a  land  of  splendid  promise  and  mighty 
resources,  whose  nearest  port  is  only  950  miles  from  the  nearest  port 
of  the  United  States.  This  Republic  has  an  area  as  great  as  that  of 
Germany,  France,  Holland,  and  Belgium  combined. 

These  comparative  data  may  aid  in  increasing  respect  for  the 
"  small-?'  South  American  Republics,  which  are  too  often  mentioned 
throughout  the  United  States  in  a  patronizing  manner. 

A  sad  mistake  is  frequertly  made  in  considering  the  climate  of  our 
neighboring  continent.  Because  it  is  called  "  South  "  America,  the 
general  supposition  seems  to  be  that  it  is  all  hot !  A  look  at  the  map 
appears  to  support  this  theory.  A  large  portion  of  the  northern  end 
is  wholly  in  the  tropical  zone,  and  the  equatorial  circle  passes  across 
northern  Brazil  and  Ecuador. 

Probably,  however,  it  is  not  remembered,  except  by  special  travel- 
ers and  expert  authorities,  that  vast  sections  of  Colombia,  Venezuela, 
Ecuador,  Peru,  and  Brazil  possess  wide-reaching  high  plateaus  where, 
on  account  of  the  elevation  above  the  sea,  the  climate  is  as  cool  the 
year  round  as  that  of  our  Southern  States  in  October.  The  tempera- 
ture is  so  equable  and  favorable  that  there  can  be  grown  all  the 
products  of  the  Temperate  Zone. 

Altitude  effects  a  very  remarkable  physical  phenomenon  in  climate. 
For  instance,  if  a  man  standing  on  the  equator  at  sea  level  mounts 
a  mule  and  rides  straight  up  into  the  mountains  for  5,280  feet,  or  1 
mile,  he  will  experience  as  great  a  change  of  temperature  and  vege- 
tation as  if  he  traveled  1,500  miles  due  north  by  land  or  sea ;  if  he 
continues  on  higher  to  the  plateaus  of  10,560  feet  altitude,  or  2  miles 
up,  he  will  find  a  difference  as  great  as  if  he  journeyed  2,500  miles 
north  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 


30  LATIN    AMERICA. 

MULE    BACK    ALONG    STRANGE    ROUTES. 

Last  summer  (1906)  it  was  my  experience,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Mahlon  C.  Martin,  jr.,  of  Glen  Ridge,  New  Jersey,  to  make  one  of 
the  longest  journeys  over  untraveled  routes  that  has  ever  been  under- 
taken by  any  American  official  in  South  America. 

At  the  time  I  was  United  States  minister  to  Colombia  and  stationed 
in  Bogota,  its  remote  but  interesting  capital.  Partly  in  an  effort  to 
comply  with  Secretary  Root's  instructions  to  meet  him  on  the  west 
coast  of  South  America  during  his  famous  tour  of  that  continent, 
partly  from  a  desire  to  study  carefully  a  vast  unknown  section  of 
South  America  that  will  have  a  great  development  after  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Panama  Canal,  and  considerably  from  a  spirit  of  adven- 
ture and  in  quest  of  strange  scenes,  I  covered,  including  detours,  a 
distance  of  1,500  miles  over  the  high  summits  and  plateaus  and  through 
the  tropical  valleys  and  deep  canyons  of  the  main  ranges  of  the  Andes 
Mountains.  Of  this  1,500  miles,  more  than  1,000  were  traversed  on 
mules  by  thirty-one  days  of  continuous  sticking  to  the  saddle.  The 
rest  of  the  distance  we  traveled  in  railroad  trains,  steamboats,  canoes, 
afoot,  and  in  automobiles. 

Not  infrequently  we  would  break  camp  in  the  morning  at  an  alti- 
tude of  10,000  feet  and  regret  that  we  were  not  clad  like  arctic 
explorers.  By  noon  we  would  be  lunching  under  a  palm  tree  with 
monkeys  chattering  about  and  filling  us  with  envy  that  we  were  not 
dressed  as  sensibly  as  they.  At  night  we  would  have  climbed  up 
again  and  sought  rest  almost  under  the  shadow  of  perpetual  snow. 
During  this  one  day's  journey  we  had  seen  growing  the  vegetation 
of  both  Montreal  and  Panama,  and  had  passed  through  as  many 
stages  of  climate  and  classes  of  products  as  we  could  in  a  two  weeks' 
trip  to  and  from  Canada  and  the  Isthmus. 

The  country  we  crossed,  from  Bogota  to  Guayaquil,  by  way  of 
Quito,  in  Colombia  and  Ecuador,  now  has  a  population  of  1,000,000, 
largely  Indians  descended  from  the  Incas.  Within  a  decade  after 
the  Panama  Canal  is  constructed,  these  uplands  and  valleys  should 
experience  a  special  exploitation,  for  they  could  easily  support  a  white 
population  of  5,000,000  and  are  splendidly  rich  in  both  agricultural 
and  mineral  possibilities. 

THE    STORY    OF    COMMERCE    AND    TRADE. 

The  foreign  commerce  of  South  America  tells  a  convincing  story. 
It  shows  us  that  the  field  is  of  critical  importance  to  our  manufactur- 
ers and  exporters.  It  proves  that  South  America  has  awakened  to  a 
new  life,  and  is  buying  and  selling  like  any  prosperous  part  of  the 
world. 


32 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


The  total  foreign  trade — exports  and  imports — of  the  ten  independ- 
ent South  American  republics — Argentina,  Bolivia,  Brazil,  Chile, 
Colombia,  Ecuador,  Paraguy,  Peru,  Uruguay,  Venezuela — and  of  the 
British,  French,  and  Dutch  Guianas,  exceeded  in  1905  the  sum  of 
$1,200,000,000.  Now,  if  we  study  the  long  list  of  exports  and  imports 
of  these  countries  and  consider  the  geographical  relations  of  the  same 
countries  to  the  United  States,  we  say  that  the  latter's  share  of  this 
trade  ought  to  have  been  at  least  $500,000,000.  In  fact,  it  was  under 
$250,000,000,  with  a  balance  against  us  of  nearly  $1,000,000  in  the 
value  of  their  exports  over  their  imports.  This  situation  alone  shows 
that  we  are  not  mastering  the  opportunity  as  we  should,  and  that 


REVIEW  OF  PERUVIAN  CAVALRY  ON  THE  MAIN  PLAZA  OF  LIMA,  PERU. 
In  front  of  the  Government  Palace,  on  the  occasion  of  the  inauguration  of  the  President. 

Europe  is  awake  to  the  benefits  which  will  result  from  keen  exploita- 
tion. 

Argentina's  record  in  material  progress  rivals  Japan's.  With  only 
6,000,000  inhabitants,  Argentina  astonished  the  world  by  conducting 
in  1906  a  trade  valued  at  $562,000,000— buying  and  selling  more  in 
the  markets  of  foreign  nations  than  Japan  with  a  population  of 
40,000,000  and  China  with  300,000,000.  Surely  these  are  figures  and 
results  which  should  make  us  stop  and  think.  Of  these  $560,000,000 
in  foreign  trade,  the  portion  of  the  United  States  was  only  $52,000,000. 

Brazil  sold  to  the  United  States  in  1905  coffee  and  other  products 
worth  nearly  $100,000,000,  but  bought  our  exports  only  to  the  small 
value  of  $15,000,000.  Something  is  wrong  here,  and  the  situation  is 


LATIN   AMEKICA.  33 

emphasized  when  we  note  the  heavy  purchases  from  or  in  Europe. 
Chile  engaged  (1905)  in  a  foreign  commerce  worth  $140,000,000,  but 
the  allotment  of  the  United  States  was  only  $17,000,000.  Of  almost 
every  other  South  American  country  we  might  sing  the  same  song. 

There  are  now  nearly  50,000,000  people  living  south  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  or  a  population  equal  to  that  of  the  German  Empire.  Immi- 
gration is  pouring  rapidly  into  Argentina,  Brazil,  Uruguay,  and 
Chile.  As  admission  to  the  United  States  becomes  more  strict,  the 
tide  will  turn  to  South  America.  As  it  is,  nearly  500,000  Italian  and 
Spanish  immigrants  landed  at  Buenos  Aires  during  the  past  year. 
The  totals  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Montevideo,  and  Valparaiso  were,  of 
course,  much  smaller,  but  they  indicated  a  marked  increase  in  the 
number  of  people  leaving  southern  Europe  to  seek  new  homes  in 
southern  and  middle  South  America,  where  the  climate  is  not  at  all 
dissimilar  to  that  of  their  home  countries. 

While  the  Spanish  language  is  the  common  tongue  of  all  South 
America  except  Brazil,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  latter  has  a 
population  of  nearly  20,000,000  and  occupies  nearly  half  the  area  of 
the  continent.  Portuguese  is  spoken  throughout  its  limits,  and  Span- 
ish is  seldom  heard  among  its  people.  The  languages  are  similar  but 
difficult  for  the  same  person  to  understand,  unless  the  ear  is  carefully 
trained  to  the  sounds  and  inflections  of  both.  All  well-educated  per- 
sons in  Spanish  and  Portuguese  America  speak  and  read  French 
almost  as  well  as  their  native  tongue. 

It  would  be  fortunate  if  more  Americans  would  try  one  of  three 
or  four  trips  to  South  America  instead  of  always  running  over  to 
Europe  or  seeking  Japan  and  India.  The  best  general  route  would 
be  to  go  down  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Montevideo,  and  Buenos  Aires  on 
the  Atlantic  coast,  cross  to  Santiago  and  Valparaiso,  and  then  come 
up  the  Pacific  coast  by  way  of  Lima  and  Panama,  and  thence  to  New 
York.  Such  a  tour  could  be  made  in  three  months,  but  it  would 
mean  rapid  movement. 

There  are  fast,  capacious,  handsome  passenger  and  mail  steamers 
leaving  Southampton,  Hamburg,  Cherbourg,  Lisbon,  or  Marseilles 
for  Rio  and  Buenos  Aires  at  frequent  intervals;  but  there  are  no 
first-class,  large,  rapid  passenger  and  mail  boats  flying  the  American 
flag  and  running  from  New  York  or  other  North  American  ports 
direct  for  the  east  coast  of  South  America.  It  is  true  that  there  are 
several  foreign  lines  of  semicargo  and  regular  freight  steamers,  but 
they  do  not  answer. 

There  must  come  an  improvement  in  steamship  facilities  between 
the  United  States  and  Brazil  and  Argentina,  if  the  United  States  is 
not  to  be  distanced  in  the  race  with  Europe  for  trade. 
88812—09 3 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


35 


SOME    MISTAKES    OF    THE    PAST. 

If  the  question  were  asked :  "  Why  have  we  not  made  more  progress 
with  our  prestige  and  trade  in  South  America  in  the  past?"  it  might 
be  said  that  we  have  not  appreciated  and  studied  South  American 
peoples,  nations,  governments,  habits,  and  customs  as  they  deserved. 
There  has  been  a  tendency  to  look  down  upon  our  sister  republics. 

Difference  in  language  and  lineage  has  also  worked  against  us.  In- 
stead of  our  mastering  Spanish,  Portugese,  or  French,  we  have  ex- 
pected them  to  understand  our  English.  We  have  always  approached 
South  America  on  the  material  side  and  discussed  opportunities  for 
making  money  without  endeavoring  to  get  into  closer  touch  along 
intellectual,  literary,  and  educational  lines,  to  which  South  Americans 


THE  MUSEUM  OF  IPYRANGA,  SAO  PAULO,  BRAZIL. 

It  marks  the  site  of  the  declaration  of  freedom  from  Portuguese  rule,  which  was  followed  by  the 
establishment  of  the  Empire.    The  building  is  remarkable  for  its  size  and  imposing  architecture. 

give  great  attention.  We  have  neglected  to  realize  that  their  history 
teems  with  the  exploits  of  patriotic  heroes  and  with  the  names  of  bril- 
liant authors,  philosophers,  and  poets  of  whom  we  have  no  knowledge. 
Then,  we  have  taken  little  note  of  the  universities,  hospitals,  training 
schools,  literary  circles,  newspapers,  libraries,  art  and  scientific  mu- 
seums, which,  in  proportion  to  population  and  opportunity,  rival 
those  of  North  American  cities  and  capitals. 

The  presence  now  in  South  America  of  Professor  Moses,  of  the 
University  of  California;  of  Professor  Rowe,  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania;  and  the  prospective  visit  of  Professor  Shepherd,  of 
Columbia  University,  following  close  on  the  journey  of  Secretary 


36  LATIN    AMERICA. 

Root,  will  be  productive  of  great  good  in  inaugurating  a  new  era  of 
intercourse  and  relationship.  One  of  the  principal  influences  that 
helped  to  make  the  mission  of  Mr.  Root  a  thorough  success  was  the 
recognition  by  South  Americans  of  a  great  intellectual  force  and 
noble,  statesmanlike  character  in  him  that  was  far  above  the  consid- 
eration of  barter.  They  saw  in  him  a  man  who  stood  for  the  best  in 
American  contemporary  life,  and  they  gave  him  a  welcome  that  could 
not  have  been  surpassed  in  spontaneity,  magnificence,  expense,  and 
effect,  if  he  had  been  President  Roosevelt  or  King  Edward. 

Through  his  speeches,  manner,  and  personality,  Secretary  Root 
accomplished  more,  in  the  three  months  which  he  spent  encircling 
South  America,  to  bring  about  a  new  era  of  Pan-American  confidence 
and  good  will  than  all  the  diplomatic  correspondence  and  all  the  visits 
of  promoters  and  exploiters  in  a  century. 

South  America  is  undoubtedly  entering  upon  a  new  industrial  and 
material  movement.  Its  development  during  the  next  ten  years  will 
arrest  the  attention  of  the  world.  Its  mining  wealth  and  resources 
alone,  especially  those  of  gold,  copper,  silver,  tin,  platinum,  and 
nitrate  in  the  Andean  States  of  Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru,  Bolivia,  and 
Chile,  will  require  the  investment  of  North  American  capital  not  un- 
like that  already  needed  in  Alaska  and  Mexico.  If,  as  statistics  cer- 
tify, $700,000,000  of  North  American  money  have  been  placed  in 
Mexico,  there  will  be  room  for  many  billions  throughout  the  immense 
territory  of  all  Latin  America,  from  Mexico  and  Cuba  to  Argentina 
and  Chile. 

There  is  no  limit  to  the  demands  upon  capital  for  legitimate  rail- 
way building,  but  the  requirements  for  electric  tramways,  electric 
lights,  for  utilization  of  water  powers,  for  the  erection  of  factories, 
water-supply  plants,  sewerage  works,  telephone  and  telegraph  sys- 
tems, for  agricultural  extension,  stock  raising,  and  kindred  undertak- 
ings, offer  innumerable  attractive  opportunities  for  the  personal  or 
combined  action  and  interest  of  North  Americans. 


c 


It  is  my  desire  to  interest  every  banker  and  investor  in  the  United 
States  in  the  industrial  and  material  development  of  Latin  America. 
For  American  capital  it  is  a  great  undeveloped  field.  It  has  vast 
potentialities  which  are  not  appreciated.  There  is  no  time  to  be  lost. 
Latin  America  is  on  the  verge  of  a  forward  movement  that  will  aston- 
ish the  world.  Unless  American  capitalists  are  up  and  doing,  those 
of  Europe  will  control  the  situation  and  reap  the  chief  benefits. 

This  is  no  frightened  cry  of  alarm.  It  is  no  despairing  shout.  It 
is  not  a  pessimistic  wail.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  simple  statement 
of  truth,  based  on  a  careful  study  of  Latin  America  and  a  diplomatic 
experience  in  many  of  its  principal  countries  covering  some  six  years. 
I  do  not  ask  that  heed  be  given  to  my  story  because  I  tell  it,  but 
simply  because  it  narrates  facts  that  any  man  of  common  sense,  who 
is  familiar  with  conditions  in  Latin  America,  can  relate  and  prove  as 
well  as  I.  Without  appearing  to  lay  stress  on  my  personal  views,  but 
in  order  to  create  confidence  in  my  humble  observations,  I  would 
recall  that  a  dozen  years  ago,  when  I  had  the  honor  to  be  United 
States  minister  to  Siam  in  Asia,  I  made  similar  prophecies  in  regard 
to  American  commercial  and  material  opportunities  in  the  Orient. 
These  were  first  ridiculed  and  even  scorned  by  many  of  the  leading 
American  newspapers.  To-day  the  realization  is  far  beyond  what 
was  pictured  in  my  most  hopeful  descriptions.  I  have  studied  Latin 
America,  from  Mexico  and  Cuba  to  Argentina  and  Chile,  no  less  care- 
fully than  I  did  Asia,  from  Japan  and  China  to  the  Philippines  and 
Siam,  and  I  am  now  convinced  of  the  truth  of  all  my  conclusions. 

PRESENT    AND    PROSPECTIVE    INVESTMENT. 

There  is  no  better  argument  in  favor  of  the  importance  and  value 
of  the  Latin  American  opportunity  than  a  citation  of  what  is  being 
done  to-day.  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  Cuba  can  be  passed  over 
with  brief  references,  because  they  are  so  much  better  known  in  the 
United  States  than  is  South  America  proper.  It  is  well  to  remember, 
however,  in  passing  that,  according  to  the  opinion  of  Senor  Don 


Reprinted  from  The  Bankers'  Magazine,  June,  1907. 


38 


40  LATIN    AMERICA. 

Enrique  C.  Creel,  the  distinguished  ambassador  (1907)  of  Mexico  in 
Washington,  and  a  man  who  stands  high  both  in  financial  and  diplo- 
matic circles  of  that  Government,  over  $700,000,000  of  money  from  the 
United  States  are  invested  throughout  his  country.  This  shows  how 
eagerly  the  capital  of  the  United  States  will  seek  Latin  nations  if 
peaceful  conditions  prevail.  It  is  a  logical  conclusion  that  if  this 
sum  is  invested  in  Mexico,  there  is  room  for  ten  times  that  amount,  or 
$7,000,000,000,  to  be  placed  in  South  American  countries  from 
Colombia  to  Chile.  Of  course,  I  do  not  mean  that  this  sum  can  be 
put  in  all  at  once ;  but  there  will  be  a  demand  and  opportunity  for  it 
during  the  next  twenty  j^ears  if  the  investors  of  the  United  States  do 
not  let  those  of  Europe  take  the  best  chances  first.  The  other  day  a 
reliable  financial  paper  in  Europe  made  the  significant  statement  that 
$2,000,000,000  of  European  capital  would  be  invested  in  South 
America  in  various  enterprises  during  the  next  ten  years,  and  that 
many  of  the  great  financial  institutions  of  Europe  were  seriously 
beginning  to  believe  that  capital  was  safer  in  South  America  than  in 
the  United  States.  Of  this  point,  in  so  far  as  it  refers  to  revolutions, 
I  shall  speak  pointedly  a  little  later  on. 

THE    CARIBBEAN    AND    CENTRAL    AMERICAN    STATES. 

In  Cuba,  already  over  $150,000,000  of  American  money  are  invested. 
In  Porto  Rico,  Dominican  Republic,  Haiti,  and  the  Central  American 
States  of  Guatemala,  Honduras,  Salvador,  Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica,  and 
Panama  are  $50,000,000  more — and  yet  all  experts  who  have  studied 
these  small  countries  agree  that  the  development  of  their  resources 
has  only  begun.  They  may  be  in  a  somewhat  disturbed  state,  but 
there  is  a  strong  sentiment  growing  among  all  of  them  against  revo- 
lutions and  in  favor  of  permanent  law  and  order.  Some  people 
describe  the  present  trouble  in  Central  America  as  the  straw  which 
will  break  the  back  of  the  revolutionary  camel  and  inaugurate  a  new 
era  of  peace  and  prosperity. 

OTJR    NEAREST    SOUTH    AMERICAN    NEIGHBORS. 

Now,  coming  to  South  America  proper,  we  have  a  fascinating  field 
of  study.  Let  us  first  glance  at  Colombia,  our  nearest  neighbor,  and 
yet  perhaps  the  least  known  of  the  countries  on  the  South  American 
continent.  Its  Caribbean  ports  are  only  950  miles  from  Florida.  It 
is  closer  to  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia  than  Panama  and 
most  of  the  Central  American  States.  It  covers  an  area  as  large  as 
Germany  and  France  combined.  Possessing  a  marvelous  variety  of 
climate  from  the  temperate  cold  of  the  wide  plateaus  of  the  Andes 
to  the  tropical  heat  of  its  lowlands,  rich  with  a  remarkable  variety 
of  minerals,  producing  almost  every  important  vegetable  and  timber 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


41 


growth,  and  yet  in  the  very  infancy  of  its  foreign  development  and 
exploitation,  it  is  most  tempting  for  capitalists  looking  for  virgin 
fields.  Although  Colombia  has  had  the  name  of  being  disturbed  with 
internal  strife  in  the  past,  it  is  nowr,  through  the  wise  administration 
of  its  President — General  Rafael  Reyes — gradually  substituting  con- 
fidence and  quiet  for  distrust  and  conflict.  General  Reyes  is  doing 
all  in  his  power  to  interest  foreign  capital  in  the  exploitation  of  the 
resources  of  Colombia.  He  wants  to  build  trunk  and  branch  lines  of 
railroads  over  its  wide  area ;  to  open  up  its  mines  of  gold,  copper,  and 
platinum ;  to  improve  the  navigation  of  its  many  rivers ;  to  carry  to 
market  the  valuable  timber  of  its  primeval  forests ;  to  put  in  electric 
light  and  street-car  lines  in  its  principal  cities,  and  to  take  advantage 


LANDING  WHARF  AT  PUERTO  PLATA,  DOMINICAN  REPUBLIC. 

Puerto  Plata,  on  the  north  coast,  ranks  next  to  Santo  Domingo  in  commercial  importance.  The 
town  itself  is  not  a  large  one,  the  population  being  about  6,000,  but  the  harbor  affords  splendid 
anchorage  for  a  large  fleet  of  ocean-going  vessels.  It  is  a  prominent  shipping  point  for  products  of 
the  Republic,  and  is  the  natural  outlet  for  the  northern  provinces. 

of  its  numerous  water  powers.  When  I  was  recently  United  States 
minister  in  Bogota,  its  capital,  one  of  the  most  conservative  repre- 
sentatives of  a  great  English  banking  house  told  me  that  Colombia 
alone  could  give  profitable  investment  during  the  next  ten  years  to 
$25,000,000  of  foreign  money. 

THE   RICH   LAND   OF    THE   ORINOCO. 

Venezuela  may  seem  a  little  disturbed  at  times,  but  those  familiar 
with  its  interior  agree  that,  in  proportion  to  area,  no  other  South 
American  country  has  a  more  extended  variety  of  resources  capable 
of  profitable  development.  One  trip  up  the  mighty  Orinoco  River 


LATIN    AMERICA.  43 

and  its  tributaries  will  convince  the  most  skeptical  that  millions  of 
dollars  are  to  be  made  in  taking  advantage  of  what  nature  has  given 
Venezuela  in  prodigal  supply.  Like  Colombia,  it  is  almost  a  terra 
incognita  to  the  American  capitalist  or  traveler  when  he  gets  beyond 
the  Caribbean  coast.  With  these  two  republics  crossed  by  trunk  lines 
of  railroads,  with  branches  into  various  valleys  and  upon  their  high 
plateaus,  they  would  enter  upon  a  new  era  of  prosperity  hardly 
contemplated  at  present. 

THE    COMMON    MISTAKE    REGARDING    THE    TROPICS. 

I  am  here  reminded  to  emphasize  the  mistake  that  the  average 
North  American  makes  when  he  classes  countries  like  Colombia, 
Venezuela,  Ecuador,  Peru,  and  Brazil  as  purely  tropical  and  there- 
fore dangerous  for  men  of  the  United  States  and  Europe  if  they 
expect  to  spend  much  time  there.  It  is  altitude  above  the  sea  rather 
than  nearness  to  the  equator  that  determines  heat  or  cold.  A  man 
who  climbs  up  from  the  tropical  sea  level  to  5,280  feet,  or  1  mile, 
upon  a  plateau,  finds  it  cooler  and  more  temperate  than  if  he  travels 
1,500  miles  north  or  south  from  the  equator.  Again,  if  he  goes  up 
10,560  feet,  or  2  miles,  upon  any  one  of  the  numerous  high  plateaus 
of  the  Andes,  he  will  find  a  far  more  agreeable  and  equable  climate 
than  if  he  journeyed  2,500  miles  north  or  south  from  the  equatorial 
line.  What  does  this  suggest?  Simply  that  the  so-called  and  much- 
despised  tropical  section  of  South  America,  having  many  large  and 
cool  areas  wonderfully  mingled  with  low  tropical  valleys,  all  of  which 
are  characterized  by  exceptional  fertility  of  soil  and  variety  of  re- 
sources, will  experience  an  astonishing  development  when  capital 
realizes  the  opportunity  and  feels  that  it  is  safe. 

Ecuador,  which  looks  small  on  the  map,  but  which  is  big  enough  to 
include  writhin  its  area  several^  Pennsylvanias,  is  a  good  illustration 
of  this  point.  Through  its  entire  length  for  many  hundred  miles 
there  are  fertile,  populous  Andean  uplands,  in  the  center  of  which  is 
located  its  capital,  Quito.  In  a  short  time  a  railroad  built  by  an 
American  in  the  face  of  great  financial  and  engineering  difficulties 
will  connect  at  Guayaquil,  its  port  on  the  Pacific,  with  Quito,  first 
traversing  in  this  distance  the  rich  tropical  lowlands  and  then  climb- 
ing up  into  the  mountains.  This  road,  together  with  one  in  Colombia, 
which  is  being  built  from  Buenaventura,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  into  the 
famous  and  beautiful  Cauca  Valley,  will  form  important  divisions  in 
the  mighty  Pan-American  Railway  system  which  is  being  so  strongly 
advocated  by  ex-Senator  Henry  G.  Davis,  of  West  Virginia,  Andrew 
Carnegie,  and  others. 


44 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


THE  RICHES  AND  PROGRESS  OF  GREAT  BRAZIL. 

When  one  speaks  or  writes  of  Brazil  he  has  difficulty  in  finding  ad- 
jectives which  will  describe  truthfully  the  opportunities  in  that  coun- 
try for  legitimate  exploitation  of  North  American  capital  and  yet 
which  wall  not  suggest  the  use  of  exaggerated  phraseology.  The  sim- 
ple facts — that  Brazil  covers  a  greater  area  than  the  United  States 
proper;  that  out  of  the  Amazon  River  every  day  flows  three  times 
more  water  than  out  of  the  Mississippi;  that  this  gigantic  stream 
is  navigable  2,000  miles  for  vessels  drawing  25  feet  of  water;  that 
the  city  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  its  capital,  has  now  a  population  of 
900,000,  and  spent  more  money  last  year  for  public  improvements  than 


PUNTA  ARENAS,  CHILE,  ON  BRUNSWICK  PENINSULA,  TERRITORY  OF  MAGELLAN. 

This  is  the  southernmost  city  of  the  globe  and  coaling  port  for  steamers  passing  through  the  Strait  of 
Magellan.  It  was  formerly  a  penal  settlement  but  is  now  an  enterprising  commercial  city  of 
10,000  inhabitants  and  the  leading  port  in  southern  Chile  for  the  export  of  fur,  wool,  and  minerals. 

any  city  of  the  United  States  excepting  New  York;  and  that  to-day 
the  central  Government  and  the  different  States  are  expending  larger 
sums  for  harbor  and  river  improvements  than  the  Government  or 
^States  of  the  United  States — all  convince  the  most  skeptical  that 
Brazil  is  a  field  for  the  investor  to  study  thoroughly  and  thoughtfully. 
Only  recently  it  was  announced  that  a  celebrated  American  engi- 
neer who  designed  the  elaborate  dock  system  at  Buenos  Aires,  in  the 
Argentine  Republic,  had  secured  a  concession  for  building  a  great 
harbor  at  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  in  the  south  of  Brazil,  and  would  ex- 
pend over  $14.000,000  on  the  project.  Plans  for  the  construction  of 


LATIN   AMERICA.  45 

railways  into  the  heart  of  the  country,  including  one  that  will  event- 
ually connect  Bio  de  Janeiro  with  Montevideo,  the  capital  of  Uru- 
guay, on  the  south,  and  with  Asuncion,  the  capital  of  Paraguay,  on  the 
southwest,  are  well  under  way.  The  navigation  of  the  upper  branches 
of  the  Amazon  River  are  to  be  so  improved  that  there  will  be  con- 
nection by  rail  with  Lima,  on  the  Pacific  side,  and  with  La  Paz,  the 
capital  of  Bolivia,  located  in  the  central  Andean  plateau.  All  over 
Brazil  new  towns  and  cities  are  springing  up  which  will  require  water 
works,  electric  lights,  sewerage  systems,  and  street-car  lines.  Back  in 
the  interior,  which  has  heretofore  been  described  as  a  jungle,  are  being 
found  mountains  of  iron  and  coal  and  forests  of  valuable  timber, 
upon  which  the  world  must  largely  draw  for  its  supply  in  the  future. 
Over  1,000  miles  up  the  Amazon  is  the  thriving  city  of  Manaos, 
which  reminds  one  of  the  pushing  western  cities  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  now  looking  forward  to  a  population  of  100,000,  and  prides  itself 
on  its  fine  streets,  business  buildings,  street-car  service,  and  handsome 
opera  house.  If  the  traveler  will  go  another  1,000  miles  up  this  great 
stream  he  will  arrive  at  Iquitos,  the  Atlantic  port,  as  it  were,  of  Peru, 
a  city  which  is  growing  as  a  rubber  market,  although  its  neighbor- 
hood a  few  years  ago  was  considered  a  rendezvous  of  savages.  With- 
out enlarging  on  the  possibilities  of  Brazil  to  supply  the  world's  de- 
mand for  rubber  and  coffee,  so  well  known  in  the  United  States,  it  can 
be  said  that  this  Empire  Republic  of  South  America  offers  a  field  for 
safe  investment  of  $200,000.000  of  American  money  in  the  near  future. 

AMERICAN  CAPITAL  BUILDING  NEW  RAILROADS. 

It  is  regrettable  that  there  is  not  space  in  this  article  to  go  into 
details  about  such  important  countries  as  Uruguay,  Paraguay,  Peru, 
and  Bolivia,  but  a  few  points  must  be  kept  in  mind.  Chiefly  through 
the  influence  of  the  able  minister  of  Bolivia  in  Washington,  Mr. 
Ignacio  Calderon,  nearly  $100,000,000  of  American  capital  will  be 
invested  in  the  construction  of  Bolivian  railways,  which  will  result  in 
bringing  her  limitless  mineral  resources  and  their  consequent  exploi- 
tation directly  to  the  attention  of  the  world.  In  Peru  the  greatest 
mining  enterprise  is  in  the  hands  of  Americans,  and  they  declare  that 
they  have  only  scratched  the  surface.  The  millions  that  the  Haggins 
have  put,  and  are  putting,  into  the  copper  deposits  of  the  Peruvian 
Andes  are  evidence  of  their  value.  Paraguay  seems  to  be  tucked 
away  in  the  interior  of  South  America  so  that  its  agricultural  and 
timber  wealth  are  not  appreciated,  but  every  consular  report  that 
comes  from  Asuncion  shows  that  the  Paraguayans  are  anxious  to  en- 
courage the  investment  of  North  American  money.  In  Uruguay  we 
find  one  of  the  most  fertile  soils  in  all  the  world  and  a  thrifty  people ; 
and  as  evidence  of  Uruguay's  forward  movement  it  can  be  cited  that 


LATIN    AMERICA.  47 

the  Government  is  spending  $10,000,000  in  making  the  harbor  at 
Montevideo  one  of  the  best  in  all  America. 

CHILE  A  SCENE  OF  GROWING  ACTIVITY. 

Where  to  begin  or  end  in  a  description  of  Chile's  material  and  in- 
dustrial possibilities  is  difficult  to  decide.  That  Europe  has  confidence 
in  its  future  is  proved  by  the  eagerness  with  which  German  and  Eng- 
lish capital  is  seeking  investment  along  numerous  different  lines 
within  its  limits.  Reaching  for  over  2,500  miles  along  the  Pacific 
coast  of  South  America  and  having  a  wide  variety  of  climates,  prod- 
ucts, and  natural  resources  it  presents  an  extremely  inviting  oppor- 
tunity. Its  harbors  are  being  improved,  its  railroads  are  being 
extended,  and  its  cities,  especially  those  injured  by  earthquakes, 
reconstructed.  The  Chilean  Government  expects  to  spend  at  least 
$10,000,000  in  making  Valparaiso  a  safe  harbor. 

THE    PROSPEROUS    ARGENTINE    REPUBLIC. 

Last,  but  undoubtedly  far  from  least,  we  consider  the  Argentine 
Republic,  some  times  called  the  "  Wonderland  "  of  South  America. 
Located  to  the  south  of  the  equator  not  unlike  the  United  States 
north  of  it;  possessing  through  its  greater  portion  a  temperate  cli- 
mate ;  covering  an  area  as  large  as  that  section  of  the  United  States 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River  plus  the  first  tier  of  States  west  of  it; 
drained  by  the  great  River  Plate  system,  out  of  which  flows  twice 
as  much  water  each  day  as  out  of  the  Mississippi;-  and  boasting  a 
capital  city,  Buenos  Aires,  which  has  a  population  of  over  1,200,000 
and  is  growing  faster  than  any  other  city  on  the  Western  Hemisphere, 
excepting  New  York  and  Chicago,  the  Argentine  Republic  says  to- 
day to  capitalists,  investors,  and  bankers  of  the  world  that  they  have 
no  more  inviting  field  for  the  secure  placing  of  their  surplus  money. 
Business  "  talks,"  and  it  speaks  loudly  and  convincingly  in  regard 
to  the  Argentine  Republic.  There  can  be  no  more  logical  argument 
in  support  of  Argentina's  claim  to  commercial  importance  than 
the  fact  that  in  the  year  1906  it  carried  on  a  foreign  trade,  exports 
and  imports,  amounting,  in  all,  to  the  magnificent  total  of  $562,- 
000,000.  This,  though  true,  seems  almost  incredible  when  we  realize 
that  the  country  has  yet  only  about  6,000,000  people.  It  means  that 
her  trade  with  the  rest  of  the  world  is  nearly  $100  per  head,  or 
proportionately  greater  than  any  other  large  country  on  this  earth. 

The  railway  systems  of  this  Republic,  which  connect  Buenos  Aires 
with  Bolivia  on  the  north,  with  Chile  on  the  west,  and  with  Patagonia 
at  the  southern  end  of  Argentina,  rival,  in  proportion  to  population, 
the  railroad  systems  of  the  United  States  and  European  countries. 
The  cities  of  the  interior  are  growing  rapidly,  and  there  is  every- 


48 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


where  a  demand  for  capital  to  give  these  towns  modern  advantages. 
The  amount  of  money  required  not  only  to  do  this  but  to  improve 
the  vast  agricultural  possibilities  of  her  plains  and  the  mineral 
wealth  of  her  mountains  should  be  supplied,  in  a  considerable  part, 
by  the  United  States. 

GENERAL   OPPORTUNITIES    FOR    INVESTMENT. 

I  would  add,  in  reply  to  the  many  inquiries  which  come  to  the 
International  Bureau  of  American  Kepublics,  that  money  is  wanted 


AREQUIPA,  PERU.     FOUNDED  BY  PIZARRO  IN  1540. 

Situated  at  an  altitude  of  7,360  feet  on  the  site  of  an  Inca  settlement.    In  the  background  is  seen  the 

Misti  Volcano,  19,200  feet  high. 

for  the  establishment  of  North  American  banks,  or  branches  thereof,  in 
the  principal  cities  of  South  America  ;  for  floating  government  and  in- 
dustrial loans;  for  the  building  and  extending  of  railroads;  for  the 
construction  of  electric  rail  and  street-car  lines,  electric  lighting 
plants,  waterworks,  sewerage  systems;  and  for  financing  concessions 
covering  harbor  improvements,  agriculture,  timber,  and  mineral  ex- 
ploitation, not  to  mention  a  score  of  lesser  opportunities  that  combine 
to  make  a  general  onward  movement. 


LATIN    AMERICA.  49 

REVOLUTIONS   AND   ACTUAL    COMMERCE. 

As  for  revolutions,  I  desire  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  capital  must 
not  be  frightened  or  misled  by  occasional  outbreaks  in  some  of  the 
lesser  Latin  American  countries.  The  truth  is  that  four-fifths  of 
South  America  has  known  no  serious  revolutions  in  the  last  decade 
and  a  half,  while  the  present  prospects  for  lasting  peace  and  pros- 
perity are  better  than  ever  before. 

The  query  as  to  what  Latin  America  is  doing  in  its  relations  with 
the  outer  world  can  be  summed  up  in  the  gratifying  and  surprising 
statement  that  the  total  foreign  trade,  exports  and  imports,  of  Latin 
America  in  the  year  190G  were  valued  at  $2,035,350,000.  Of  this 
amount,  exports  were  $1,138,260,000,  and  imports,  $897,095,000,  leav- 
ing a  remarkable  balance  in  favor  of  South  America  of  $241,165,000. 

THE    INTERNATIONAL    BUREAU    AND    MR.    ROOT'S    TOUR. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  call 
the  attention  of  capitalists,  investors,  bankers,  and  business  men  in 
general  to  the  broadened  scope  and  plan  of  the  International  Bureau 
of  the  American  Republics,  which,  under  the  ambitious  programme 
outlined  by  the  Third  Pan-American  Conference,  held  at  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  Brazil,  in  1906,  is  being  reorganized  and  enlarged  so  as  to 
become  a  world-recognized  and  powerful  agency  not  only  for  the  ex- 
tension of  commerce  and  trade  but  for  the  development  of  better  rela- 
tions of  peace  and  friendship  among  all  the  republics  of  the  Western 
Hemisphere. 

The  impetus  given  to  this  plan  by  the  extraordinary  visit  in  1906 
of  Elihu  Root,  then  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  to  South 
America,  can  not  be  overestimated.  He  accomplished  more  in  his 
three  months'  journey,  by  his  contact  with  the  Latin  American 
statesman,  by  his  speeches,  and  by  his  personality,  to  remove  dis- 
trust and  to  promote  mutual  good  will,  confidence,  and  their  corollary, 
commerce,  than  all  the  diplomatic  intercourse  and  correspondence 
of  the  preceding  seventy-five  years.  As  a  result  of  Mr.  Root's  visit 
to  South  America,  a  new  era  has  already  dawned  in  the  relations  of 
the  United  States  with  her  sister  nations,  and  it  now  remains  for 
the  capital  of  this  country,  accumulated  through  our  past  prosperity 
and  looking  for  new  fields,  to  improve  the  wonderful  opportunity 
in  the  great  southern  continent. 
88812- 


THE  CATHEDRAL,  SANTIAGO,  CHILE. 


Santiago  Cathedral,  an  imposing  structure  and  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in  South  America,  is 
situated  on  the  Plaza  de  la  Inde 


iependencia,  or  Haza  de  Armas,  Santiago's  favorite  "paseo." 


se 

* 


The  best  way  to  understand  or  study  any  section  of  this  world 
which  may  be  little  known  is  to  locate  it  on  the  map  clearly  and  then 
make  comparisons  as  to  its  size  with  sections  better  known. 

Central  America  is  sometimes  described  as  all  that  portion  of  the 
North  American  continent  lying  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the 
Atrato  rivers,  the  former  dividing  Mexico  from  the  United  States 
and  the  latter  forming  practically  the  boundary  line  between  Panama 
and  Colombia.  Politically,  however,  it  comprehends  the  five  inde- 
pendent states  of  Guatemala,  Honduras,  Salvador,  Nicaragua,  and 
Costa  Rica.  In  the  order  named,  they  lie  directly  south  and  east  of 
Mexico,  between  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Salvador 
is  the  only  one  of  the  five  that  borders  solely  on  the  Pacific,  or  that 
has  not  shores  washed  by  both  waters. 

As  the  average  newspaper  reader  sees  the  names  of  these  republics 
mentioned  in  the  dispatches  he  thinks  of  them  as  indefinitely  existing 
somewhere  to  the  distant  south  of  the  United  States.  He  believes 
that  they  are  nearer  Mexico  than  Patagonia,  but  he  hesitates  before 
he  goes  on  record  to  that  effect. 

In  fact,  all  these  countries,  grouped  as  Central  America,  are  so  close 
at  hand  that  they  are  within  a  few  days'  steaming  of  New  Orleans, 
Mobile,  or  Galveston.  They  are  much  nearer  geographically  to  our 
Gulf  coast  than  Panama,  which,  on  account  of  the  advertising  it  has 
enjoyed  from  the  canal,  now  seems  only  a  few  hours  from  New  York. 
Panama,  as  it  looks  on  the  map,  should  belong  to  Central  America- 
it  certainly  is  not  part  of  South  America.  Having  formerly  been  a 
portion  of  Colombia,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  in  South  America 
proper,  it  naturally  has  never  been  classed  as  belonging  to  Central  or 
North  America. 

APPROACHES    TO    CENTRAL    AMERICA. 

A  strong  influence  that  has  worked  to  make  Central  America  seem 
far  away  has  been  the  necessity,  in  the  past,  of  reaching  the  different 
capitals  or  principal  cities  either  by  sailing  from  San  Francisco  on  a 
journey  occupying  from  ten  days  to  two  weeks  down  the  Pacific  coast 
past  Mexico,  or  by  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  proceed- 
ing north.  The  physical  conformation  of  Central  America  is  such 

a  Reprinted  from  the  American  Review  of  Reviews,  July,  1907. 

51 


LATIN    AMERICA.  53 

that  the  high  and  accessible  lands  suitable  for  cities  and  the  better 
classes  of  population  are  much  nearer  the  Pacific  Ocean  than  the 
Caribbean  Sea.  The  shores  and  the  interior  facing  on  the  latter  sea 
are  generally  low,  and,  until  recently,  when  banana  cultivation  began 
to  open  them  to  the  world,  they  were  a  wild,  swampy,  mosquito  jungle. 
The  few  railroads  have  started  from  the  Pacific  coast  and  wound 
their  way  to  the  capitals  and  commercial  centers,  but  now  rapid  prog- 
ress is  being  made  toward  rail  connections  with  the  Caribbean  side. 
Costa  Rica  is  already  well  provided  in  this  respect,  and  its  beautiful 
capital  of  San  Jose  is  easily  reached  in  half  a  day's  ride  through  im- 
pressive scenery  from  Port  Limon.  Guatemala  hopes  to  have  its 
railroad  to  the  Gulf  of  Honduras  completed  next  fall.0  Nicaragua  is 
planning  a  line  that  will  connect  the  Caribbean  Sea  with  its  great 
interior  lake,  while  Honduras  has  begun  a  road  that  is  destined  to 
provide  an  approach  on  the  same  side  to  Tegucigalpa.  In  a  few 
years  it  should  be  possible  to  cross  by  rail  each  Central  American 
country  from  sea  to  sea.  An  era  of  continued  peace,  which  ought  to 
be  at  hand,  would  see  this  desired  condition  of  communication  soon 
accomplished. 

COMPARATIVE    SIZE    OF    CENTRAL   AMERICAN    STATES. 

Very  few  people  have  a  correct  impression  of  the  size  of  Central 
America  as  a  whole  or  of  its  States,  taken  separately.  California 
seems  like  a  large  State.  It  extends  770  miles  along  the  Pacific  and 
has  an  extreme  width  of  375  miles.  If  California  were  laid  end  for 
end  on  Central  America  it  would  cover  it  with  the  exception  of  Sal- 
vador, which  is  just  the  size  of  New  Jersey  and  occupies  a  little  over 
7,000  square  miles.  Stated  in  another  way,  if  Central  America  Avere 
lifted  up  bodily  and  laid  down  on  our  Atlantic  coast  it  would  just 
hide  all  New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey. 
In  short,  it  has  a  combined  area  of  approximately  167,000  square 
miles.  Individually,  aside  from  Salvador,  already  mentioned,  the 
States  could  be  compared  as  follows :  Honduras  to  Pennsylvania, 
45,000  square  miles;  Guatemala  to  Mississippi,  47,000;  Nicaragua  to 
New  York,  49,000;  Costa  Rica  to  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire, 
18,000. 

Data  as  to  the  population  of  these  States  are  somewhat  contradic- 
tory, but  the  official  figures  given  to  the  International  Bureau  of 
American  Republics  by  the  diplomatic  representatives  of  these 
countries  at  Washington  are  here  used.  Guatemala  heads  the  list 
with  1,364,678  people.  Then  come  Salvador,  with  1,006,848;  Hon- 
duras, with  543,741 ;  Nicaragua,  with  423,200 ;  and  Costa  Rica,  with 
331.340— a  grand  total  of  3,671,807.  This  nearly  exceeds  that  of  either 
Texas  or  Tennessee,  and  is  about  twice  that  of  California.  Such  a 

GThis  line  is  now   (July,  1909)   running. 


54 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


population  should  disabuse  the  minds  of  many  persons  that  Central 
America  is  a  sparsely  settled,  savage  land.  Of  course,  there  are  con- 
siderable portions  of  the  lowlands  and  along  the  seacoasts  where  the 
inhabitants  are  few,  and  even  these  live  in  most  primitive  manner, 
but  on  the  plateaus  and  higher  sections  of  the  interior  are  cities  and 
towns  of  advanced  civilization,  with  up-to-date  features  of  municipal 
life,  and  an  agricultural  population  that  leaves  little  valuable  land 
unoccupied. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  MINERVA  IN  GUATEMALA  CITY,  GUATEMALA. 

Erected  for  the  annual  festival  of  Minerva,  a  national  educational  holiday  celebrated  throughout 

the  Republic. 

CONDITIONS   OF  POPULATION    AND   DEVELOPMENT. 

It  is  a  surprise  to  the  man  who  has  not  studied  Central  America 
to  learn  that  Salvador,  with  only  7,000  square  miles,  has  more  than 
1,000,000  inhabitants.  This  indicates  a  density  of  population  far 
greater  than  that  of  New  Hampshire  or  Vermont,  and  means  that 
there  are  not  many  "  deserted  farms  "  for  sale  in  Salvador.  Guate- 
mala, with  an  increasing  population  that,  since  the  last  census,  has 
probably  now  reached  nearly  1,500,000,  can  not  be  regarded  as  a 


LATIN    AMERICA.  55 

land  of  untra versed  jungle,  for  the  density  of  population  is  greater 
than  that  of  Louisiana.  Honduras  has  the  largest  area  of  unused 
country,  with  Nicaragua  next,  but  the  development  of  the  banana 
industry  and  the  demand  for  valuable  timber  grown  in  the  low  in- 
terior sections  are  destined  to  make  every  unknown  part  accessible 
and  open  to  exploitation. 

Too  strong  emphasis  can  not  be  placed  on  the  varied  riches  and 
possibilities  of  these  five  republics.  Taken  as  a  whole,  they  possess 
more  agricultural  and  timber  wealth  than  mining  potentialities,  but 
they  are  developing  rapidly  along  all  three  lines  in  a  way  to  prove 
that  they  have  not  been  appreciated  heretofore,  either  in  Europe  or 
in  the  United  States. 

The  number  of  recent  disturbances  in  Central  America  has  given 
the  impression  abroad  that  these  nations  are  always  in  a  state  of 
strife,  and  hence  that  commerce  and  material  progress  have  little 
to  encourage  them.  A  consideration,  however,  of  the  figures  of  their 
foreign  trade  with  the  world  at  large,  and  with  the  United  States  in 
particular,  demonstrates  that  despite  warlike  struggles  at  frequent 
intervals  they  have  time  and  money  to  do  a  very  fair  business  with 
the  outside  world. 

CLIMATIC   CHARACTERISTICS  OF   CENTRAL  AMERICA. 

People  are  always  asking,  What  is  the  climate  of  Central  America ; 
is  it  not  unfavorable  to  North  Americans  or  to  persons  accustomed 
to  a  temperate  climate?  Were  the  entire  area  of  Central  America 
similar  to  the  part  along  the  Caribbean  coast  I  should  be  inclined  to 
speak  disparagingly  of  it,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  large  sec- 
tions are  located  either  at  such  an  altitude  or  in  such  relation  to 
prevailing  winds  that  the  temperature  seldom  becomes  too  hot  for 
ordinary  comfort,  and  never  too  cold.  Even  in  the  lower  and  so- 
called  fever,  malarial,  and  mosquito  districts,  it  is  wonderful  what  a 
change  can  be  wrought  by  clearing  away  the  jungle,  providing  good 
sewerage  and  pure  water,  and  generally  developing  a  sanitary  envi- 
ronment. Then,  the  terrors  of  excessive  heat  seem  to  disappear  and 
the  Tropics  become  a  source  of  delight. 

What  has  been  done  at  Panama  can  be  duplicated  everywhere  in 
Central  America  if  the  same  methods  are  employed.  There  is  hardly 
a  depressing,  forbidding  port  of  Guatemala,  Honduras,  Salvador, 
Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica  which  could  not  be  made  healthy  and 
habitable  for  foreigners  if  a  well-developed  plan  for  sanitation  were 
carried  to  complete  execution.  This  is  sure  to  come  some  day,  with 
the  result  that  the  whole  so-called  "  Mosquito  Coast "  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Caribbean  shore  of  Central  America  will  be  busy  with 
prosperous  commercial  entrepots,  which,  in  turn,  will  be  connected  by 
railroads  with  all  parts  of  the  hitherto  impenetrable  jungle,  as  well 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


57 


as  with  the  mountain  capitals  and  towns.  In  fact,  I  look  to  see, 
during  the  next  twenty  years,  a  transformation  in  Central  America 
which  will  astonish  the  world  and  make  it  difficult  to  realize  that,  in 
1907,  it  was  commonly  regarded  as  a  terra  incognita, 

HOW   TO   REACH   CENTRAL   AMERICAN    CITIES. 

The  query  is  often  propounded  to  the  International  Bureau  of 
American  Republics:  How  does  a  visitor  go  to  the  principal  cities 
of  Central  America,  and  what  are  the  conditions  of  travel?  The  best 
way  to-day  to  reach  San  Salvador,  the  capital  of  Salvador;  Teguci- 


GOVERNMENT  PALACE,  MANAGUA,  THE  CAPITAL  OF  NICARAGUA. 

galpa,  the  capital  of  Honduras,  and  Managua,  the  capital  of  Nica- 
ragua, is  either  by  the  way  of  Panama  and  the  Pacific  or  by  San 
Francisco  and  the  Pacific,  except  that  the  new  rail  route  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  may  presently  provide  connections  that  will 
be  quicker  than  the  route  via  San  Francisco  or  Panama.  San  Jose, 
the  capital  of  Costa  Rica,  has  direct  rail  connections  with  Port 
Limon,  on  the  Caribbean  shore,  and  will  soon  have  a  through  railroad 
to  Puntarenas,  on  the  Pacific  Gulf  of  Nicoya.  The  Pacific  port  of 
Guatemala  City  is  the  town  of  San  Jose,  from  which  a  railroad  runs 
to  the  capital.  The  line  from  the  Caribbean,  about  completed,  begins 
at  Puerto  Barrios.  Northwestern  Guatemala  is  reached  through  the 


58  LATIN   AMERICA. 

ports  of  Ocos  and  Champerico,  and  a  raiJroad  extends  from  the  latter 
place  to  several  important  towns  of  the  interior.  The  principal  port 
of  Salvador  is  Acajutla,  from  which  a  railroad  carries  one,  in  five 
hours,  to  the  city  of  San  Salvador.  From  La  Libertad  there  is  a  fair 
mountain  road,  but  it  has  been  little  used  since  the  railway  was  com- 
pleted. 

The  capital  of  Honduras  has  its  port  at  Amapala,  on  the  Pacific 
Gulf  of  Fonseca,  and  a  good  macadamized  road  extends  from  San 
Lorenzo  to  Tegucigalpa,,  on  which  automobiles  are  operated.  A 
railroad  is  planned  and  partly  constructed  to  connect  Tegucigalpa 
not  only  with  the  Gulf  of  Fonseca,  but  also  with  Puerto  Cortez, 
on  the  Caribbean  Gulf  of  Honduras.  When  these  roads  will  be 
completed  is,  however,  uncertain.  The  chief  port  of  Nicaragua  is 
Corinto,  on  the  Pacific  side.  From  this  port  a  railroad  runs  to 
Managua  and  thence  to  Granada,  on  Lake  Nicaragua. 

PRECAUTIONS  FOR  TRAVELERS. 

The  capital  towns  of  the  Central  American  republics  vary  in  popu- 
lation, but  all  provide  hotels  and  clubs  that  are  comfortable.  New 
York  and  Paris  hostelries  do  not  abound,  as  there  is  no  demand  for 
them,  but  unless  a  man  is  a  chronic  "  kicker  "  he  need  not  be  unhappy 
in  his  Central  American  surroundings.  Whoever  goes  there  should 
be  provided  with  an  abundance  of  light  clothing,  such  as  white  duck, 
brown  khaki,  or  thin  flannel.  He  must  guard  against  the  sun  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  and  should  wear,  unless  he  carries  an  umbrella, 
a  pith  hat  or  some  kind  of  sun  helmet.  After  the  sun  is  well  down, 
the  air  cools  off  immediately,  and  the  nights  are  generally  cool. 
Except  in  the  higher  altitudes,  a  mosquito  net  is  absolutely  necessary, 
and  no  traveler  along  the  coast  or  in  the  low  interior  should  be  caught 
without  one.  If  any  time  is  spent  in  this  section,  it  is  also  well  to 
take  regular  doses  of  quinine,  according  to  one's  capacity  or  health, 
in  order  to  guard  against  malaria.  Ordinary  care  should  also  be 
exercised  in  the  kind  of  food  consumed,  and  even  more  care  in  the 
kind  of  water  that  is  drunk. 

I  do  not  wish  to  frighten  anybody  or  make  it  appear  that  there 
is  any  particular  danger  while  traveling  in  these  countries.  I  desire 
rather  to  make  a  few  simple  suggestions  which,  if  followed,  will 
make  travel  and  life  there  more  safe  and  agreeable.  As  to  myself, 
I  can  say  that  during  many  years'  residence  as  United  States  min- 
ister in  different  tropical  countries  of  the  Orient  and  America,  in- 
cluding a  year  at  Panama  (before  it  was  made  healthy  and  sanitary 
through  the  great  work  of  Colonel  Gorgas),  I  never  experienced  a 
day's  sickness  from  any  kind  of  tropical  complaint.  I  exercised 
common  sense  care  of  myself,  and  nothing  more.  To-day,  I  visit 
the  heart  of  the  Tropics  with  far  less  hesitation  than  I  do  New 
England  in  winter. 


STATUE  OF  COLUMBUS,  GUATEMALA  CITY,  GUATEMALA. 

This  celebrated  monument  of  the  great  Discoverer  adorns  Central  Park.  The  artistic  composition  of 
the  figures  and  the  bronze  globes  is  most  happy,  while  this  park,  with  its  wealth  of  semitropical 
vegetation  and  its  commanding  and  picturesque  location,  forms  a  fitting  background. 


60 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


TRADE,   COMMERCE,   AND  FINANCIAL  STATUS. 


That  this  discussion  of  Central  America  may  contain  some  exact 
information  about  its  trade,  commerce,  and  general  business,  the  latest 
statistics  and  figures,  prepared  in  the  International  Bureau  of  the 
American  Republics,  of  which  the  writer  is  the  director,  are  given  in 
summarized  form.  The  total  foreign  commerce,  exports  and  imports, 
of  the  five  Republics  amounted  last  year  (1906)  to  the  considerable 
total  of  $56,133.000.  Of  this,  exports  were  $32,170,000  and  imports 
$23,963,000,  or  a  favorable  balance  of  nearly  $10,000,000.  The  share 
of  the  United  States  in  the  above  trade  is  interesting  to  note,  because 
it  averaged  about  half.  The  total  was  $26,376,000,  of  which  exports 


SCHOOL  EXERCISES  AT  SAN  JOSE,  COSTA  RICA. 

This  country  is  celebrated  for  its  excellent  schools.    The  University  contains  the  National  Library, 
which  comprises  3,000  volumes  of  scientific  and  miscellaneous  works. 

to  the  United  States  were  $14,992,000,  and  imports  from  the  United 
States  $11,384,000. 

Taking  each  country  in  turn  for  the  purpose  of  providing  accurate 
and  specific  information,  it  is  noted  that  the  total  trade  of  Guate- 
mala with  the  world  is  $15,082,000,  of  which  $6,844,000  are  imports 
and  $8,238,000  are  exports.  Of  this,  the  portion  of  the  United 
States  is  $5,582,000,  divided  as  follows :  Imports,  $2,707,000 ;  exports, 
$2,875,000.  The  budget  for  1906-7  estimates  the  revenues  of  the 
Government  at  $25,000,000. 

Salvador  enjoys  a  foreign  commerce  of  $9,986,000,  divided  into 
exports  of  $5,640,000  and  imports  of  $4,346,000.  The  share  of  the 


LATIN    AMERICA.  61 

United  States  is  $2,580,000,  with  exports  of  $1,225,000  and  imports 
of  $1,355,000.  The  annual  budget  for  1906-7  estimates  the  national 
revenues  at  $8,644,295. 

Honduras  conducts  an  external  trade^with  the  world  of  $7,857,000, 
of  which  exports  are  $5,564,000  and  imports  $2,293,000.  The  United 
States  proportion  of  this  trade  is  valued  at  $6,322,000,  or  much  the 
largest  part,  of  which  exports  to  the  United  States  are  $4,632,000  and 
imports  therefrom  $1,690,000.  The  last  budget  places  the  revenues 
at  $3,043,000.  Although  the  foreign  debt  is  heavy,  Honduras  has 
marvelous  resources,  which,  developed,  will  enable  her  to  meet  her 
obligations. 

Nicaragua's  foreign  commerce  reaches  a  total  of  $7,128,000,  of 
which  $3,926,000  represents  exports  and  $3,202,000  imports.  Of  these, 
the  share  of  the  United  States  is  nearly  half,  as  the  total  is  $3,757,000, 
with  exports  at  $2,089,000  and  imports -at  $1,668,000.  The  annual 
income  for  government  expenses  is  about  $20,000,000.  Nicaragua 
gives  every  evidence  of  being  on  the  highway  to  great  material  prog- 
ress, and  is  offering  exceptional  opportunities  for  the  investment  of 
capital  in  both  mining  and  agriculture.  Great  public  improvements 
are  also  contemplated  that  will  add  much  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
country. 

Although  Costa  Rica  ranks  fourth  in  area  among  the  Central 
American  republics,  she  stands  a  good  second  in  foreign  trade.  This 
amounted  in  1906  to  the  large  sum  of  $16,000,000,  of  which  the 
exports  were  $8,802,000  and  imports  $7,278,000.  The  United  States 
shared  to  the  extent  of  about  half,  or  $8,135,000,  with  exports  and 
imports,  respectively,  at  $4,171,000  and  $3,964,000.  The  revenue  for 
1906-7  is  estimated  at  $3,372,795. 

Everybody  wrho  visits  Costa  Rica  carries  away  a  good  impression 
and  has  great  confidence  in  its  future.  The  banana  business  has 
grown  to  such  size  that  it  has  become  a  decided  source  of  wealth  to 
the  country  and  people.  Mining  has  not  been  conducted  on  a  large 
scale,  but  considerable  mineral  wealth  is  believed  to  exist  in  the 
mountains. 

PRINCIPAL   PRODUCTS    SOLD   AND   BOUGHT. 

The  character  of  the  trade  of  Central  America  with  the  world  and 
with  the  United  States  can  be  best  appreciated  by  noting  some  of 
the  principal  articles  which  are  exported  and  imported.  Central 
Americans  sell  abroad  coffee,  bananas,  rubber,  cacao,  dyewoods,  val- 
uable lumber,  like  mahogany  and  other  cabinet  woods,  hides  and 
skins,  rice,  sugar,  indigo,  balsam,  tobacco,  and  minerals.  They  buy 
cotton  and  woolen  cloth,  machinery,  railway,  electric,  and  mining  out- 
fits, wheat  flour,  drugs,  and  medicines,  iron  and  steel  manufactures, 
sacks  for  export  of  coffee  and  fruit,  canned  provisions,  and  a  host  of 


62 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


lesser  articles.  The  list  is  long  enough  to  show  that  there  are  great 
opportunities  in  Central  America  for  the  manufacturers  and  exporters 
of  the  United  States  if  they  will  make  vigorous  efforts  to  exploit  it 
along  legitimate  lines.  As  this  trade  will  next  year  reach  a  high 
figure,  it  should  be  carefully  investigated  by  all  those  interested. 

The  principal  centers  of  trade  and  industry  in  Central  America 
include  Guatemala  City,  which  has  96,000  people;  Coban,  Toonicapan, 
and  Quezaltenango,  in  Guatemala,  with  about  25,000  each;  Teguci- 
galpa with  about  34,000,  and  Comayagua  with  10,000,  in  Honduras; 
Leon  with  60,000,  Granada  with  30.000,  and  Managua  with  25.000, 
in  Nicaragua ;  San  Salvador  with  60,000,  and  Santa  Ana  with  48,000, 


LAW  SCHOOL,  GUATEMALA  CITY,  GUATEMALA. 

A  national  institution,  which,  together  with  the  school  of  medicine,  of  engineering,  and  of  philosophy, 
forms  the  university.  These  schools  are  supported  by  the  Government  and  are  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  board  selected  from  the  faculties  of  the  four  institutions. 

in  Salvador,  and  San  Jose  with  25,000,  Heredia  with  10,000,  and 
Limon  with  7,000,  in  Costa  Rica.  Many  of  these  towns  are  also  seats 
of  notable  institutions  of  learning,  such  as  the  schools  of  law  and 
medicine  at  Guatemala  City,  the  Institute  of  Jurisprudence  and 
Political  Science  at  Tegucigalpa,  the  National  University  at  San 
Salvador,  the  schools  of  law,  medicine,  and  pharmacy  at  Managua 
and  Leon,  and  the  schools  of  law  and  medicine  in  San  Jose. 

If  anyone  assumes  that  because  there  are  occasional  revolutions  in 
Central  America  and  the  climate  is  somewhat  tropical,  there  is  not 
a  considerable  element  of  highly  educated  and  refined  men  and 
women  in  the  chief  cities  and  towns,  he  labors  under  great  error.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  well-to-do  people  have  traveled  abroad  and 


LATIN    AMERICA.  63 

send  their  sons  or  daughters  to  the  United  States  and  Europe  for 
educational  advantages  in  addition  to  their  home  schools.  Each 
country  has  produced  writers,  historians,  poets,  novelists,  jurists, 
doctors,  and  surgeons,  as  well  as  statesmen,  who  are  well  known 
throughout  all  Latin  America  and  who  are  becoming  better  known 
in  the  United  States.  The  society  found  by  the  visitor  in  the  Central 
American  capitals  is  always  more  interesting  and  cultured  than  he 
expects  to  meet  before  he  has  acquired  familarity  with  actual  con- 
ditions. Guatemala  City,  for  instance,  is  a  remarkable  capital,  with 
nearly  100,000  people,  which  will  become  a  popular  point  for  travel- 
ers and  tourists  from  the  United  States  when  the  Pan- American  Rail- 
road or  the  new  line  from  the  Caribbean  shore  is  completed.  In  fact, 
Guatemala  has  a  splendid  future  before  it,  but  the  world  has  only 
recently  begun  to  appreciate  its  resources  and  possibilities.  Much 
might  also  be  said  of  the  conditions  and  attractions  of  the  other 
Central  American  capitals,  like  San  Jose,  Managua,  Tegucigalpa, 
and  San  Salvador,  but  there  is  not  space  in  this  brief  article. 

BENEFITS   OF   AN    INTERCONTINENTAL    RAILWAY. 

No  matter  how  many  steamship  lines  may  be  put  in  operation 
between  the  Pacific,  Gulf,  and  Atlantic  ports  of  the  United  States 
and  Central  America,  the  principal  cities  and  points  of  this  section 
of  the  North  American  continent  will  never  be  reached  rapidly  and 
by  large  numbers  of  people  until  the  Pan-American  Railway  system 
is  constructed  from  Mexico  down  through  Guatemala,  Salvador, 
Honduras,  Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica  to  Panama.  The  line  now 
reaches  practically  to  the  border  of  Guatemala,  and  there  are  no 
insurmountable  difficulties  in  connecting  it  wth  the  small  systems 
already  in  operation,  or  in  course  of  construction,  in  these  different 
states.  If  the  movement  which  has  been  so  strongly  urged  by  ex- 
Senator  Henry  G.  Davis,  of  West  Virginia,  and  which  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  different  Pan- American  conferences,  is  carried  to  a 
consummation,  it  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  forward  steps  to  Pan- 
American  unity.  In  ten  years,  it  should  be  possible  for  a  traveler 
to  start  out  from  New  York  and  make  the  journey  to  each  of  the 
Central  American  capitals  in  comfortable  Pullman  trains. 

For  three  hundred  years  Central  America  was  under  Spanish 
authority,  beginning  with  the  invasion  of  Pedro  and  Jorge  de  Alva- 
rado  on  the  north  and  Gil  Gonzales  de  Avila  on  the  south.  The 
former  came  down  from  Mexico  just  before  the  latter  came  up  from 
Panama,  taking  possession  of  what  is  now  Costa  Rica  and  Nicaragua. 
For  long  years,  Central  America  was  known  as  the  Kingdom  of 
Guatemala,  with  governors  appointed  by  the  Spanish  Government. 
After  their  independence  was  consummated  in  the  year  1821,  and, 


LATIN   AMEKICA. 


65 


until  1847,  these  countries  remained  as  one  republic.  Since  they 
separated  there  have  been  various  efforts  to  unite  them  again  into 
one  nation,  but  none  of  these  has  been  completely  successful. 

THE  BUREAU  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REPUBLICS. 

The  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics,  in  Washing- 
ton, which  has  the  twofold  purpose  of  developing  commerce  and  trade 
and  of  promoting  better  relations  and  closer  acquaintance  among  all 


A  RAILWAY  TRESTLE  IX  COSTA  RICA. 

The  Pacific  Railway  of  Costa  Rica  is  170  miles  long,  and  only  lacks  12  miles  of  construction  in  order 
to  connect  the  Atlantic  with  the  Pacific  coast  from  Port  Limon  to  Puntarenas  by  way  of  the  capi- 
tal, San  Jose.  It  traverses  one  of  the  richest  tropical  and  subtropical  portions  of  the  Republic, 
noted  for  the  luxuriance  of  its  vegetation  and  the  beauty  of  its  scenery.  Some  of  the  railways  of 
Costa  Rica  are  under  direct  governmental^control,  and  all  of  them  penetrate  exceedingly  produc- 
tive agricultural  regions,  capable  of  supplying  an  immense  tonnage  of  natural  and  cultivated 
products. 

the  nations  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  will  be  glad  to  answer  any 
inquiries  from  the  readers  of  the  "  Review  of  Reviews "  about  the 
resources,  possibilities,  and  general  development  of  the  Central  Amer- 
ican republics  which  may  be  suggested  by  this  brief  description,  while 
the  able  ministers  in  Washington  and  consuls-general  in  New  York 
City  of  these  countries  are  always  ready  to  consider  legitimate  and 
serious  questions  from  those  who  may  be  interested. 


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There  is  no  field  for  the  study  of  the  American  manufacturer  more 
important  than  that  of  Latin  America.  At  this  very  moment  con- 
ditions demand  the  attention  of  all  American  business  men  who  are 
interested  in  the  expansion  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  United 
States.  The  whole  world  is  suddenly  awakening  to  the  vastness  and 
variety  of  the  resources  and  possibilities  of  the  20  republics  which 
reach  from  Mexico  and  Cuba  on  the  north  to  Argetina  and  Chile 
on  the  south,  a  section  of  the  Western  Hemisphere  which  includes 
every  kind  of  climate,  product,  and  people. 

Commercial  countries  of  Europe,  like  England,  Germany,  France, 
Spain,  Italy,  and  Austria,  are  devoting  far  more  attention  to  South 
America  than  is  the  United  States.  Further  than  this,  Japan,  far 
away  across  the  Pacific,  is  exerting  herself  to  get  into  close  touch 
with  the  west  coast  of  South  America.  That  statement  may  seem 
surprising,  but  proof  of  it  is  found  in  the  projection  of  a  steamship 
line  which  is  to  run  from  Japan  to  Chile,  and  by  the  arrangement 
of  postal  money-order  exchange  between  the  two  countries,  effective 
from  January  1,  1908.  The  United  States  has  done  absolutely  noth- 
ing toward  improving  its  shipping  relations  with  any  portion  of 
South  America.  The  European  countries  already  mentioned  are 
favored  in  the  development  of  their  trade  by  numerous  first-class 
mail,  express,  and  passenger  cteamers  which  connect  their- leading 
ports  with  those  of  South  America  and  even  with  Mexico  and  Cen- 
tral America,  within  the  very  limits  of  our  own  front  yard,  as  it 
were.  What  a  sad  and  depressing  acknowledgment  it  is  for  us  enter- 
prising North  Americans  that  there  is  not  one  single  fast-mail  steamer 
flying  the  American  flag  and  running  between  the  chief  ports  of  the 
United  States  and  those  of  South  America  proper.  I  am  not  mak- 
ing any  argument  for  subsidy,  but  simply  stating  a  fact. 

SURPRISING    FACTS    AND    FIGURES    OF    TRADE. 

Before  we  go  any  further  let  us  consider  carefully  some  remark- 
able and  convincing  figures  which  show  beyond  any  question  or 


Reprinted  from  The  World  To-day,  Chicago,  April,  1908. 


67 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


69 


doubt  the  value  of  the  Latin  American  commercial  opportunity.  The 
average  manufacturer,  merchant,  and  farmer  of  the  United  States 
has  been  so  occupied,  on  the  one  hand,  with  home  trade  conditions  or, 
on  the  other,  with  the  possibilities  of  commercial  expansion  in  Eu- 
rope and  Asia  that  he  has  almost  overlooked  the  prosperous,  pro- 
gressive, and  wealthy  countries  in  our  neighborhood  to  the  south  of 
us.  He  has  not  comprehended  the  essential  truth  that  on  the  West- 
ern Hemisphere,  aside  from  the  United  States,  there  are  other  great 
nations  which  have  remarkable  resources  and  which  are  making 
unusual  progress.  He  has  assumed  too  readily  that  the  United 


PRINCIPAL  PLAZA,  BOGOTA,  COLOMBIA. 

Plaza  Bolivar  is  the  principal  square  of  the  capital  of  Colombia.  In  the  center  of  a  garden  of  flowers, 
shrubs,  and  trees  is  a  handsome  statue  of  Gen.  Simon  Bolivar,  the  liberator  of  five  South  American 
Republics.  The  capital,  municipal  building,  and  cathedral  are  built  around  this  square. 

States  was  the  "  whole  thing,"  and  that  what  was  not  going  on  in 
this  country  was  hardly  worthy  of  respect.  Now  he  must  rub  his 
eyes  and  wake  to  see  Latin  America  forge  ahead,  appreciated  by 
the  rest  of  the  world  while  the  average  North  American  has  been 
asleep. 

He  who  has  not  familiarized  himself  with  Latin  America  does  not 
stop  to  think  that  it  conducted  one-third  of  the  total  foreign  com- 
merce of  the  21  republics  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  including  the 
United  States,  during  the  year  of  1906.  It  is  hard  for  him  to  believe 


70  LATIN   AMERICA. 

that  these  lands  to  the  south  of  us  bought  from  and  sold  to  the  rest 
of  the  world  products  valued  at  $2,000,000,000  and  that,  of  this,  there 
was  a  balance  of  trade  in  favor  of  Latin  America  amounting  to  ap- 
proximately $228,000,000. 

For  comprehensive  and  reliable  discussion  I  have  taken  the  average 
foreign  trade  of  Latin  America,  covering  Mexico,  Central  and  South 
America,  and  the  West  Indies,  for  the  last  two  or  three  years,  and 
have  drawn  the  following  conclusions : 

LATIN    AMERICAN    EXPORTS    AND    IMPORTS    ANALYZED. 

The  total  exports  and  imports  of  Latin  America  amount  annually 
to  $2,052,355,000;  of  this  great  sum,  Latin  America  exports  $1,140,- 
260,000  and  imports  $912,095,000,  giving,  as  indicated  above,  a  re- 
markable balance  of  trade  in  its  favor. 

Noting  next  what  is  the  average  share  of  the  United  States  in  this 
total  with  all  Latin  America,  we  find  it  to  be  $519,202,700,  Avhich, 
subdivided,  gives  exports  to  the  United  States  as  $296,932,200  and 
imports  from  the  United  States  $222,270,500,  or  a  balance  of  trade 
in  favor  of  Latin  America  and  against  the  United  States  of  approxi- 
mately $74,000,000. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  the  character  and  the  amount  of  exports 
and  imports  between  the  United  States  and  Latin  America  that  run 
above  the  million  mark. 

The  United  States  exported  to  Latin  America  during  the  year  1907 : 

Agricultural  implements,  about  __.  .__  $5,000,000 

Locomotives  and  cars,  about 11,000,000 

Electric  and  scientific  instruments 4,  500,  000 

Steel  rails 4,000,000 

Steel  wire I 4,  500,  000 

Steel  tools 4,  000,  000 

Sewing  machines 2,500,000 

Pipes  and  fittings 3,500,000 

Copper  (ore  and  bars)__  1,500,000 

Wheat ___     2,000,000 

Wheat  flour ___  13,500,000 

Cotton,  cloth,  wearing  apparel,  etc 7,  250,  000 

Twine  (manufactured  fiber) .__     2,000,000 

Leather,  with  boots  and  shoes 3,000,000 

Lard .__     7,000,000 

Oil: 

Crude,  illuminating,  lubricating 10,750,000 

Vegetable  and  paraffin 3,  750,  000 

Timber 2,500,000 

Lumber  ___  15,  500,  000 

Furniture 3,  000,  000 


72  :    LATIN    AMERICA. 


Ett&s  imported  from  Latin  America  during  1907,  of— 

Cocoa   (cacao)   -------------------------------------------------  $7,000,000 

Coffee  ----------------------------------------------------------  70,  000,  000 

Copper—  _  20,000,000 

Bananas  and  fruits  ______  _  12,  000,  000 

Furs  and  hides  -----------------------------      __________________  15,000,000 

Rubber  —  ---------------------------------  33,000,000 

Iron_.  ------------------------------------     2,500,000 

Lead—  ________________________     3,000,000 

Sugar__  _____________________  70,000,000 

Tobacco  and  cigars__  ________  16,  000,  000 

Woods..  ----------------------  11,500,000 

Wool__  -------------  ______     6,000,000 

Other  articles,  such  as  typewriters  and  various  grades  of  manufac- 
tured goods,  show  high  figures,  but  they  do  not  touch  the  million 
mark. 

These  figures  for  all  Latin  America  are  more  encouraging  than  for 
the  subdivision  of  South  America  proper,  which  comprises  the  ten 
Republics  of  Brazil,  Argentina,  Uruguay,  Paraguay,  Chile,  Bolivia, 
Peru,  Ecuador,  Colombia,  Venezuela,  and  the  British,  Dutch,  and 
French  Guianas.  Let  us  see  what  there  is  here  unsatisfactory  to  the 
United  States. 

South  America  proper  conducted  an  average  foreign  trade  amount- 
ing to  $1,513,415,000,  of  which  the  share  of  the  United  States  in  1907 
was  only  $233,293,300,  including  both  exports  and  imports—  barely 
one-seventh.  Analyzing  further  these  figures  for  the  United  States, 
we  discover  that  South  America  sold  to  us  products  to  the  value  of 
$147,680,000  and  bought  from  us  only  $85,612,400.  This  gives  a 
balance  against  us  of  practically  $60,000,000. 

Another  comparison  shows  how  far  behind  we  are  in  the  race  with 
the  rest  of  the  world.  South  America  purchased  from  other  nations 
products  valued  at  $660,930,000,  of  which  the  United  States  furnished 
$85,612,400,  or  barely  one-eighth,  and  yet  the  more  we  study  the  South 
American  field  the  more  we  appreciate  that  the  United  States  could 
supply  the  greater  portion  of  its  imports.  Correspondingly,  we  do 
not  give  South  America  as  great  a  market  for  her  products  as  we 
ought,  for,  of  her  total  exports,  amounting  to  $852,485,000,  the  United 
States  purchased  only  $147,680,900,  or  approximately  one-sixth. 

ENCOURAGING  FEATURES  OF  THE  SITUATION. 

Having  given  these  figures,  some  of  which  are  averages,  covering  a 
period  of  years,  I  now  desire  to  point  out,  through  additional  figures, 
another  feature  of  the  situation  which  is  most  encouraging,  and 
which  should  inspire  our  manufacturers  and  exporters  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  Latin-American  commercial  opportunity.  With  the 


LATIN    AMERICA.  >/>///     73 


aid  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  the  Deartment  ^ 
Labor,  the  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics'  "fras 
worked  out  the  following  totals  showing  the  growth  of  the  trade  of 
the  United  States  with  her  sister  republics: 

The  entire  commerce,  exports  and  imports,  between  the  United 
States  and  the  countries  to  the  south  of  her  amounted  in  1897,  ten 
years  ago,  to  $252,427,798.  Three  years  later,  in  1900,  this  had  grown 
to  $324,680,368.  Five  years  more,  in  1905,  it  had  expanded  to 
$517,477,368;  while  two  years  later,  1907,  we  are  gratified  to  note 
that  it  has  reached  the  splendid  total  of  $587,194,945.  It  is  thus  seen 
that  in  ten  years  our  trade  with  Latin  America  has  increased  by  the 
vast  sum  of  $335,000,000,  or  has  more  than  doubled.  Certainly  this 
is  a  record  of  which  our  country  can  be  proud,  and  yet  it  is  only  a 
beginning  of  possibilities. 

Inasmuch  as  the  total  foreign  commerce  of  Latin  America  for  1907 
was  over  $2,000,000,000,  it  can  be  seen  that  the  United  States  is  far 
from  having  her  share.  The  great  point  is  that  if  the  United  States, 
under  present  conditions  and  with  the  present  lack  of  interest,  can 
conduct  a  trade  with  Latin  America  of  nearly  $600,000,000  per 
annum,  it  is  sure  to  do  a  business  of  $1,000,000,000  in  the  near  future, 
after  our  manufacturing  and  agricultural  interests  fully  realize  the 
value  of  the  opportunity  and  put  forth  their  best  energies  to  con- 
trol it. 

THE    GREATNESS    OF    THE    LATIN-AMERICAN    OPPORTUNITY. 

Having  taken  up  these  measurements  of  commerce  and  trade,  it  is 
logical  that  we  should  consider  some  descriptive  facts  which  shall 
prove  to  everybody  the  greatness  and  importance  of  the  Latin-  Ameri- 
can countries.  There  is  not  space  in  a  brief  article  like  this  to 
describe  carefully  what  has  been  done  by  Mexico,  Central  America, 
Cuba,  Haiti,  and  the  Dominican  Republic,  which  border  on  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  and  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  therefore  particular  attention 
will  be  given  only  to  South  America  proper.  In  passing,  however, 
we  should  bear  in  mind  that  over  $800,000,000  of  American  capital 
has  been  invested  in  Mexico,  and  that  last  year  that  country  con- 
ducted a  trade  with  the  United  States  valued  at  over  $125,000,000,  of 
which  over  $67,000,000  represented  imports  from  the  United  States. 

Central  America,  comprising  Guatemala,  Salvador,  Honduras, 
Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica,  is  entering  upon  a  new  era  of  prosperity 
and  progress  as  a  result  of  the  treaties  and  conventions  signed  at  the 
Central  American  Peace  Conference  recently  held  in  Washington. 
If  these  international  agreements  are  approved  by  all  these  coun- 
tries, there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  have  a  growth  and  devel- 
opment like  that  of  Mexico,  because  they  possess  a  remarkable  vari- 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


75 


ety  of  resources  and  a  favorable  climate  in  most  sections.  In  1906 
Central  America  conducted  a  foreign  trade  valued  at  almost  $56,000,- 
000,  of  which  the  imports  from  the  United  States  amounted  to  nearly 
$12,000,000. 

The  republics  and  islands  of  the  West  Indies  are  forging  ahead,  and 
last  year  boasted  of  a  foreign  trade  amounting  to  $240,000,000,  of 
which  $153,000,000  were  imports  by  these  islands  from  the  United 
States. 


MACKENZIE  COL'LEGE,  SAO  PAULO,  BRAZIL. 

An  undenominational  educational  institution  founded  in  1889  by  John  T.  Mackenzie,  of  New- 
York,  who  gave  $42,000  t9\vard  the  erection  of  the  building.  It  has  graded  and  normal  depart- 
ments and  a  self-supporting  manual  training  school. 

Coming,  then,  to  South  America  proper  and  noting  some  salient 
facts,  we  are  impressed  first  with  Colombia,  the  nearest  to  the  United 
States  of  the  South  American  republics,  having  an  area  as  large  as 
Germany  and  France  put  together,  and  entering  upon  an  era  of  rapid 
progress  as  the  result  of  the  enlightened  administration  of  General 
Rafael  Eeyes.  Having  traveled  extensively  over  the  interior  of 
Colombia,  I  can  vouch  for  its  richness.  As  soon  as  it  is  opened  up 
by  railroads  and  by  improved  navigation  of  its  rivers,  it  should  have 
a  development  not  unlike  that  of  Mexico. 


76  LATIN    AMERICA. 

Venezuela  greatly  resembles  Colombia,  with  an  unusual  mingling 
of  rich  plateaus  and  river  valleys  which  offer  an  inviting  field  of 
legitimate  exploitation.  The  mighty  valley  of  the  Orinoco  alone  is 
a  section  in  which  millions  and  millions  of  capital  may  be  safely 
invested. 

The  British,  Dutch,  and  French  Guianas  have  only  been  barely 
touched  by  the  hand  of  capital,  and  yet  they  will  soon  experience  a 
Drogress  surpassing  any  past  development. 


Brazil  is  indeed  an  interesting  subject  to  discuss.  It  is  so  large,  so 
resourceful,  and  so  vast  in  potentialities  that  it  is  difficult  to  confine 
oneself  to  conservative  language.  When  we  remember  that  the  entire 
connected  area  of  the  United  States  could  be  placed  inside  the  limits 
of  Brazil  and  that  there  would  still  be  room  for  the  German  Empire ; 
that  out  of  the  Amazon  River  flows  every  day  three  times  as  much 
water  as  from  the  Mississippi;  that  Rio  de  Janeiro,  its  capital,  is 
already  a  city  of  900,000  inhabitants  and  growing  with  rapidity ;  that 
the  government  and  people  of  Brazil  gave  our  battle-ship  fleet  a  more 
magnificent  welcome  than  was  ever  given  to  a  visiting  fleet  from  a 
foreign  nation  in  the  history  of  the  world,  then  we  shall  have  before 
us  some  facts  that  show  how  worthy  of  our  special  attention  is  this 
great  Republic  of  South  America. 

All  over  Brazil  there  is  evidence  of  the  new  era  of  material  prog- 
ress. Railroads  are  being  built  into  the  interior,  rivers  and  harbors 
are  being  improved,  the  cities  are  being  modernized,  the  school  sys- 
tems are  being  elaborated,  and  the  native  richness  of  the  soil  and 
forests  is  being  exploited,  with  the  result  that  a  large  amount  of 
European  and  American  capital  is  being  invested  there  with  absolute 
surety  of  good  returns.  In  no  country  of  South  America  has  the 
manufacturer  and  exporter  a  better  chance  to  build  up  his  trade  than 
in  Brazil.  To-day  the  balance  of  commerce  exchanged  is  greatly 
against  us.  Brazil  buys  from  the  United  States  only  about  one-fifth 
in  value  of  what  she  sells  there.  This  country  is  Brazil's  chief  mar- 
ket for  coffee,  but  our  merchants  have  made  so  little  effort  to  supply 
what  Brazil  demands  from  foreign  countries  that  Europe  practically 
controls  the  import  situation. 

Uruguay,  just  below  Brazil,  and  Paraguay,  between  Brazil  and 
Argentina,  are  small  in  area,  but  rich  in  agricultural  possibilities. 
The  city  of  Montevideo,  the  capital  of  Uruguay,  has  a  population  of 
300,000  and  is  an  important  port  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Plata. 
The  peoples  of  both  countries  are  enterprising  and  progressive, 
and  believe  that  their  nations  will  see  remarkable  progress  during 
the  next  decade.  Montevideo  is  spending  $10,000.000  in  the  im- 


78  LATIN    AMEKICA. 

provement  of  its  harbor  facilities,  while  Asuncion,  the  capital  of 
Paraguay,  is  looking  forward  to  the  improvement  of  the  River 
Parana  and  to  the  extension  of  the  railroad  system,  so  that  it  will  be 
in  communication  on  the  one  hand  with  Argentina  and  Uruguay 
and  on  the  other  with  Brazil. 

In  this  connection  it  must  be  remembered  that  southern  Brazil, 
Uruguay,  Paraguay,  all  of  Argentina  and  Chile  are  practically  in 
the  south  temperate  zone,  and  possess  climatic  conditions  not  unlike 
those  of  the  United  States  far  north  of  the  equator.  Such  a  location 
means  much  for  their  future  development  as  the  homes  of  ambitious 
peoples. 

ARGENTINA    A    WONDERLAND   OF    MATERIAL    PROGRESS. 

Argentina  is  a  country  of  peculiar  interest.  It  has  gone  ahead  with 
such  rapidity  during  the  last  ten  years  that  it  is  difficult  to  predict 
what  another  decade  will  show.  It  has  such  a  large  area  suitable  for 
the  growth  of  products  which  are  needed  in  Europe  that  it  is  always 
sure  to  have  an  enormous  foreign  trade.  With  a  present  population 
of  nearly  6,000,000  people  it  conducted  in  1907  a  foreign  commerce 
valued  at  nearly  $600,000,000,  a  total  greater  than  that  of  Japan  or 
of  China.  This  gives  an  average  of  nearly  $100  a  head,  which  is 
larger  than  that  of  any  other  important  country  in  the  wTorld. 

Argentina  is  gridironed  with  a  system  of  railroads  which  enables 
one  to  cross  the  continent  from  Buenos  Aires  to  Santiago  in  less  than 
forty-eight  hours,  including  a  short  trip  by  coach  over  the  top  of  the 
Andes,  and  to  go  in  a  Pullman  train  from  the  borders  of  Bolivia  on 
the  north  into  the  heart  of  Patagonia  on  the  south. 

Buenos  Aires,  its  capital,  is  one  of  the  wonderful  cities  of  the 
world.  It  has  a  population  now  of  nearly  1,200,000,  and  is  grow- 
ing more  rapidly  than  any  city  in  the  United  States  with  the  excep- 
tion of  New  York  and  Chicago.  It  has  a  finer  system  of  docks  and 
wharves,  a  more  costly  and  beautiful  opera  house,  a  larger  club,  and  a 
more  extensive  newspaper  plant  than  any  city  of  our  own  progressive 
land.  It  has  plans  to  build  an  intricate  system  of  underground  rail- 
ways, and  it  is  made  beautiful  by  numerous  boulevards,  parks,  and 
squares.  The  commerce  of  all  Argentina  centers  in  Buenos  Aires, 
and  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  scores  and  scores  of  merchant 
vessels,  flying  the  flag  of  every  important  country  except  the  United 
States,  loading  and  unloading  along  its  water  front.  The  people  are 
decidedly  progressive  and  represent  a  new  race,  inasmuch  as  they  are 
a  combination  of  Spanish  and  Italian,  with  a  sprinkling  of  English 
and  German  blood,  and  they  are  developing  a  class  of  men  and  women 
who  insure  the  future  strength  and  quality  of  the  country. 


LATIN   AMERICA.  79 

CHILE  AND  THE  WEST  COAST  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

The  size  and  importance  of  Chile  can  be  best  appreciated  by  remem- 
bering, first,  that  it  runs  up  and  down  the  west  coast  of  South 
America  in  the  Temperate  Zone  just  as  our  own  west  coast  borders  on 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and,  second,  that  if  the  southern  end  of  Chile  were 
placed  at  San  Diego,  the  southern  end  of  California,  the  northern 
line  of  Chile  would  be  located  in  the  middle  of  Alaska.  In  other 
words,  it  extends  north  2,600  miles  from  the  Straits  of  Magellan  to 
the  Peruvian  border,  while  its  average  width  is  that  of  California, 


A  SECTION  OF  THE  HISTORIC  WALL  OF  CARTAGENA,  COLOMBIA. 

Erected  by  Spain  at  a  cost  of  $56,000,000,  for  protection  against  pirates.    Cartagena  was  the  port 
whence  Peruvian  gold  was  shipped  to  Europe,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  ports  of  Colombia. 

with  a  corresponding  variety  of  climate  and  products.  Its  capital 
city,  Santiago,  has  a  population  of  400,000,  and  is  classed  as  one  of 
the  most  attractive  cities  of  the  southern  continent.  At  its  principal 
port,  Valparaiso,  the  Chilean  Government  is  preparing  to  spend 
$10,000,000  for  harbor  and  dockage  facilities,  thus  making  it  the  most 
complete  port  on  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Although  Chile  is  well  provided  with  railroads,  the  Government 
is  now  at  work  on  a  scheme  for  a  longitudinal  road  to  run  the  entire 
length  of  the  country,  and  to  connect  the  capital  with  every  section. 


LATIN    AMEEICA.  81 

The  enormous  wealth  of  the  nitrate  fields  of  Chile  brings  to  the 
country  a  vast  revenue  which  makes  it  almost  independent  of  other 
sources  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Government.  Chile  is  anxious 
for  the  completion  of  the  Panama  Canal,  so  that  it  can  get  into 
closer  touch  with  the  United  States.  When  that  waterway  is  com- 
pleted, it  should  be  possible  to  go  from  New  York  to  Valparaiso 
in  less  than  fifteen  days,  while  now  it  takes  on  an  average  of  thirty 
days.  The  foreign  commerce  of  Chile  last  year  amounted  to 
$180,000,000. 

BOLIVIA,  PERU,  AND  ECUADOR. 

Although  Bolivia  has  no  seacoast,  it  covers  an  immense  territory, 
in  wrhich  could  be  placed  the  State  of  Texas  twice  over  and  still  leave 
room  for  Arkansas  and  Kansas.  A  large  portion  of  it  is  located  at  a 
high  altitude,  so  that  it  has  favorable  climatic  conditions.  It 
possesses  a  remarkable  variety  of  mineral  and  agricultural  riches, 
and  is  entering  now  upon  a  period  of  real  progress.  An  American 
syndicate  is  building  a  system  of  railroads  upon  which  will  be 
expended  fully  $100,000,000.  Its  interesting  capital,  La  Paz,  can 
be  reached  by  a  combination  journey  of  rail  and  water  up  frrn  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  across  Lake  Titicaca,  the  most  elevated  navigable 
body  of  water  in  the  world.  The  value  of  the  foreign  trade  of 
Bolivia  is  approximately  $35,000,000,  but  it  is  growing  with  rapidity 
and  bids  fair  to  double  itself  in  the  near  future. 

North  of  Bolivia  extends  Peru  over  an  area  in  which  could  be 
placed  all  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  States  from  Maine  to  Georgia.  It 
has  a  mingling  of  low  country  along  the  Pacific,  and  again  in  the 
upper  valleys  of  the  Amazon,  so  that,  with  the  great  plateaus  and 
mountainous  districts  of  the  Andes,  Peru  possesses  a  wide  variety  of 
climate,  products,  and  resources.  Many  millions  of  American  capital 
have  already  been  invested  there  in  the  development  of  its  mines. 

Lima,  the  capital  city  of  Peru,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  aristo- 
cratic capitals  of  Latin  America.  Here  was  established  a  university 
one  hundred  years  before  Harvard  was  founded.  Here  was  the  seat 
of  one  of  the  Spanish  vice-royalties  in  the  days  of  the  old  regime. 
To-day  it  is  a  prosperous,  busy,  and  well-built  metropolis.  The  port 
of  Lima  is  Callao,  only  a  few  miles  away,  where  the  American  fleet 
under  Admiral  Evans  made  its  fourth  stop  in  its  journey  around 
South  America.  It  has  an  excellent  harbor,  and  through  it  passes 
the  greater  part  of  the  foreign  trade  of  Peru,  amounting  to 
$49,150,000. 

Ecuador,  in  which  the  State  of  Illinois  could  be  placed  many 
times,  is  rejoicing  now  in  the  prospect  of  the  advantages  of  the  rail- 
road which  connects  its  principal  port,  Guayaquil,  on  the  coast,  with 

88812- 


LATIN   AMERICA.  83 

the  famous  old  capital  of  the  Republic,  Quito,  a  city  of  about  80,000 
people,  located  at  an  elevation  of  10,000  feet  above  sea  level,  upon  the 
plateaus  of  the  Andes.  When  the  branches  of  this  road  are  com- 
pleted the  interior  of  Ecuador  will  experience  a  development  that 
will  add  much  to  the  wealth  of  the  country. 

In  1909  Ecuador  will  hold  an  exposition  to  celebrate  the  one  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  declaration  of  independence  from  Spain, 
and  it  is  expected  that  there  will  be  a  great  display  of  the  natural 
resources  and  products  of  the  country,  which  will  be  sure  to  attract 
universal  attention  and  prove  the  value  of  this  region  as  a  field  for  the 
investment  of  foreign  capital.  The  United  States  has  been  invited 
to  participate,  and  President  Roosevelt  has  recommended  to  Con- 
gress that  an  appropriation  be  voted  for  a  building  and  exhibit. 

A  VISIT  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA  RECOMMENDED. 

While  what  I  have  written  about  these  countries  may  awaken 
interest  among  those  who  have  paid  no  attention  to  South  America, 
I  am  prompted  to  advise  strongly  that  every  person  who  has  the 
time  and  money  should  make  a  visit  to  the  principal  countries  and 
cities  of  South  America  and  see  with  his  own  eyes  the  possibilities 
of  that  part  of  the  world.  The  average  American  business  man  when 
he  wants  a  vacation  goes  to  Europe ;  some  few  go  to  the  Far  East,  but 
practically  no  one  proceeds  to  South  America.  If  the  conditions 
could  be  changed,  and  travel  to  the  southern  continent  popularized, 
the  beneficial  effects  upon  the  development  of  our  commerce  would 
soon  be  evident. 

This  prepares  the  way  for  pointing  out  the  vital  importance  of 
improving  our  shipping  facilities  with  South  America.  In  contrast 
to  the  possibility  of  reaching  the  chief  cities  of  Brazil,  Argentina, 
Chile,  and  other  countries  by  fast  and  commodious  steamers  running 
from  Europe  in  considerable  numbers,  is  the  fact  that  there  is  not 
one  first-class  mail,  express,  and  passenger  steamer  flying  the  Ameri- 
can flag  and  running  between  any  one  of  the  ports  of  the  United 
States  and  those  of  South  America  below  the  equator.  It  is  most 
depressing  for  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  to  make  the  grand  tour 
of  these  southern  cities  and  see  nowhere  the  Stars  and  Stripes  unless 
it  be  floating  from  an  occasional  man-of-war  or  pleasure  yacht.  Per- 
haps he  may  run  across  a  sailing  vessel  with  the  United  States  flag, 
but  even  these  are  few  in  number  compared  to  what  they  were  in  the 
olden  days. 

I  give  here  suggestions  about  travel  to  Latin  America,  because  I 
wish  to  show  to  business  men,  investigators,  and  others  how  such  a 
trip  can  be  made. 

To  reach  Brazil,  Argentina,  and  Uruguay  direct,  comfortable  but 
not  fast  steamers  may  be  taken  from  New  York,  the  journey  to  Rio 


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LATIN   AMERICA.  85 

consuming  eighteen  days,  and  to  Montevideo  and  Buenos  Aires,  on 
the  through  steamers,  four  to  seven  days  longer.  For  Asuncion,  the 
capital  of  Paraguay,  there  are  numerous  first-class  steamers  up  the 
river  Parana  from  Buenos  Aires.  A  more  popular  and  fashionable 
route  is  to  go  first  to  Europe,  where,  at  Southampton  and  Havre, 
English,  French,  and  German  steamers  of  the  most  modern  and  luxu- 
rious type  provide  accommodation  for  passengers  to  Rio  in  sixteen 
days  and  to  Montevideo  and  Buenos  Aires  in  four  to  six  days  more. 

To  reach  Venezuela  there  are  two  lines  of  steamers  from  New 
York,  the  journey  to  La  Guaira  taking  six  to  seven  days  direct,  or 
twelve  days  indirect  service. 

The  Caribbean  ports  of  Colombia,  Cartagena,  and  Baranquilla  are 
visited  by  steamers  from  New  York,  which  stop  also  at  Colon  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  at  Kingston  in  Jamaica. 

All  Pacific  ports  are  reached  from  Panama  after  crossing  the 
Isthmus  from  Colon,  or  by  taking  a  steamer  from  San  Francisco 
which  touches  all  intermediate  points  between  San  Francisco  and 

Panama.     Panama  is  the  northern  terminus  of  the  steamers  touchino 

& 

the  Pacific  ports  of  Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru,  and  Chile. 

Steamers  can  be  taken  in  New  York  to  reach  Costa  Rica,  Nicaragua, 
and,  since  the  opening  of  the  railway  from  Puerto  Barrios,  even 
Guatemala.  For  Salvador,  Honduras,  and  the  west  coast  of  Guate- 
mala and  Nicaragua,  the  steamers  from  San  Francisco  or  Panama 
are  the  more  available. 

NEED  OF  FIRST-CLASS  STEAMSHIP  FACILITIES. 

The  commerce  of  the  United  States  with  South  America  proper 
has  already  been  shown  to  be  only  $233,000,000  out  of  the  total 
foreign  trade  of  these  countries  amounting  to  $1,500,000,000.  That 
this  condition  is  coincident  writh  the  lack  of  first-class  steamship 
facilities  is  at  least  a  justifiable  conclusion,  if  it  is  not  entire  'proof 
that  one  is  responsible  for  the  other.  Despite  the  fact  that  there  are 
a  large  number  of  freight  vessels,  all  of  them  flying  foreign  flags, 
running  between  the  chief  ports  of  the  United  States  and  those  of 
South  America,  it  is  just  as  necessary  for  us  to  have  fast  mail,  express, 
and  passenger  steamers  on  the  high  seas  to  conduct  commerce,  to 
carry  letters,  and  to  take  care  of  passenger  traffic  and  express  freight 
requiring  early  delivery,  as  it  is  to  have  the  corresponding  kind  of 
railroad  trains  upon  land. 

Can  anyone  imagine  Chicago  holding  its  present  position  if  it 
were  reached  only  by  freight  trains?  The  fast  mail,  express,  and 
passenger  railroad  service  is  an  absolute,  if  not  the  principal,  essential 
to  the  development  of  the  exchange  of  trade.  It  is  folly,  therefore, 
to  expect  that  the  United  States  can  ever  hold  an  important  position 
in  the  commerce  of  South  America  unless  the  facilities  for  going 
back  and  forth  and  for  mail  communication  are  improved. 


86 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


There  could  be  no  better  evidence  of  the  unfortunate  state  of  af- 
fairs than  the  fact  that  more  business  men  from  the  progressive 
Republic  of  Argentina  left  Buenos  Aires  in  one  week,  aboard  the 
fast  and  elegant  European  steamers,  either  to  visit  Europe  on  busi- 
ness or  to  enjoy  travel,  than  proceeded  to  the  United  States  in  a 
whole  year  on  the  slow-going  vessels  that  connect  Buenos  Aires  with 
New  York.  The  records  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  great  capital  of 
Brazil,  show  that  the  European  boats  in  one  week  carried  away  more 
Brazilians  to  Europe  than  all  the  vessels  running  to  the  United 
States  in  a  whole  year. 

The  solution  of  this  problem  is  not  in  a  so-called  "  subsidy,"  which 
is  an  unfortunate  term  and  often  misleading.  The  whole  question 
boils  itself  down  into  the  necessity  of  paying  a  good  wage  for  work 


GOVERNMENT  BUILDING  IN  SUCRE,  ONE  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  CITIES  OF  BOLIVIA. 

well  done.  That  is,  the  United  States  Government  must  be  ready 
to  pay  steamship  companies  flying  the  American  flag  such  a  reason- 
able sum  for  carrying  the  mails  on  vessels  of,  say,  IT  knots  speed 
and  first-class  passenger  accommodations,  that  they  can  deliver  mails 
and  passengers  in  competition  with  the  vessels  of  Europe,  and  so 
provide  the  same  kind  of  facilities  on  sea  that  we  get  from  the  mail 
trains  on  land  throughout  the  United  States,  and  to  which  the 
United  States  Government  pays  a  regular  sum  for  the  quality  of 
service  rendered. 

THE  INTERNATIONAL   BUREAU    OF   THE    AMERICAN    REPUBLICS. 

In  conclusion,  advantage  is  taken  of  this  opportunity  to  call  the 
attention  of  business  men  who  read  this  article  to  the  International 


88 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


Bureau  of  the  American  Kepublics.  This  institution  was  founded 
eighteen  years  ago  at  the  first  Pan-American  Conference  for  the 
purpose  of  disseminating  information  throughout  the  different 
American  Republics  concerning  mutual  progress  and  development. 
As  a  result  of  the  third  Pan-American  Conference  held  at  Rio  de 
Janeiro  and  through  the  efforts  of  Secretary  Root,  who  has  done 
more  than  any  other  man  in  the  history  of  American  diplomacy 
to  advance  the  prestige  and  influence  of  the  United  States  in  Latin 
America,  it  has  been  reorganized  and  enlarged  so  that  it  may  become 


HIDE  AND  WOOL  SECTION  OF  CENTRAL  PRODUCE  MARKET,  BUENOS  AIRES. 

The  Central  Produce  Market  of  Buenos  Aires  is  the  largest  wool  and  hide  market  in  the  world.  The 
building  is  an  iron  structure  four  stories  high,  covering  an  area  of  182,000  square  feet,  and  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,100,000.  There  is  a  complete  installation  of  cranes,  elevators,  and  appa- 
ratus for  loading  and  unloading  the  principal  export  products  of  Argentine  Republic.  Immense 
quantities  of  wool,  hides,  and  cereals  are  annually  shipped  from  this  market  to  the  large  commer- 
cial ports  of  the  world. 

a  world-recognized  and  practical  agency  for  the  development  of 
Pan-American  commerce  and  comity.  It  is  intended  to  be  not  only 
a  bureau  of  information,  supplying  all  varieties  of  data  regarding 
different  American  countries  to  manufacturers,  educators,  travelers, 
students,  etc.,  but  the  means  through  which  all  the  resolutions  of  the 
different  Pan-American  conferences  shall  be  put  into  force. 

Everything  possible  is  done  by  the  Bureau  to  bring  about  better 
relations  and  more  intimate  acquaintance  and  intercourse  among 
all  the  nations  of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  It  publishes  a  monthly 


LATIN    AMERICA.  89 

bulletin  which  is  a  careful  record  of  the  commercial  and  business 
conditions  of  all  the  republics,  and  distributes  a  large  number  of 
publications  descriptive  of  the  American  republics,  their  conditions, 
resources,  and  potentialities.  Connected  with  it  is  the  Columbus 
Memorial  Library,  which  is  the  largest  single  collection  in  the 
United  States  of  books  relating  to  the  history,  progress,  and  present 
status  of  all  the  countries  under  discussion. 

Through  the  beneficence  of  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie  and  the  contri- 
butions of  the  different  governments,  the  International  Bureau  is 
shortly  to  be  housed  in  a  magnificent  new  building  which  will  cost 
approximately  $750.000,  and  provide  in  Washington  a  temple  of 
friendship  and  commerce  which  will  be,  in  a  sense*,  a  meeting  place 
for  all  the  American  republics. 

The  Bureau  is  supported  by  the  joint  contributions  of  the  21 
American  republics,  and  its  affairs  are  controlled  by  a  governing 
board  composed  of  the  diplomatic  representatives  in  Washington 
of  20  republics,  with  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States  as 
chairman  ex-officio.  Its  chief  executive  officer  is  the  director,  who 
is  chosen  by  this  governing  board.  He,  in  turn,  is  assisted  by  the 
secretary  of  the  Bureau  and  other  officials  and  experts. 

In  the  event  that  anyone  desires  information,  he  may  address  the 
Director,  Pan-American  Bureau  (as  it  is  commonly  described),  2 
Jackson  Place,  Washington,  D,  C.  It  will  be  a  special  pleasure  to 
consider  carefully  any  inquiries  regarding  Latin  America  which 
may  come  from  the  large  and  representative  constituency  of  The 
World  To-Day. 


CALLE  DE  ESTADO,  SANTIAGO,  CHILE. 

Calle  de  Estado  is  one  of  the  busiest  thoroughfares  in  Santiago,  running  from  the  "Alameda  de 
las  Delicias"  to  the  principal  square,  the  "Plaza  de  Armas."  It  is  lined  with  numerous  retail 
stores,  in  which  can  be  found  all  the  luxuries  of  American  or  European  cities. 


HOW  THE  BUSINESS  MAN  CAN  USE  THE  SERVICE 
GIVEN  FREE  BY  THE  INTERNATIONAL  BUREAU 
OF  THE  AMERICAN  REPUBLICS,  TO  BECOME  FA- 
MILIAR WITH  CONDITIONS  IN  LATIN  AMERICA, 
TO  LEARN  THEIR  SPECIFIC  DEMANDS,  AND 
TO  AID  IN  SECURING  PROFITABLE  BUSINESS. 

Every  business  man,  every  professional  man,  every  man  interested 
in  our  foreign  relations,  should  become  acquainted  with  the  Inter- 
national Bureau  of  the  American  Republics.  Its  great  practical  value 
to  the  business  man,  its  possibilities  for  good  in  the  development  of 
both  commerce  and  comity  among  the  American  nations,  the  vast 
field  it  represents — these  facts  bring  a  realization  of  its  importance. 

To  understand  what  the  International  Bureau  can  do  for  business, 
it  is  essential  to  know  its  history. 

Although  it  has  led  a  dignified  and  honorable  existence  for  eight- 
een years,  and  has  had  excellent  and  able  men  at  its  head,  there  has 
never  been  until  now  any  popular  interest  in  our  sister  American 
nations.  It  required  the  statesmanship  of  an  Elihu  Root  and  an 
unprecedented  journey  on  his  part  all  around  the  South  American 
continent  to  make  the  people  of  the  United  States  realize  the  vast 
importance  of  our  relations  with  the  nations  to  the  south  of  us. 

The  International  Bureau  wras  organized  as  a  result  of  the  first 
Pan-American  Conference  held  at  Washington  in  1889-90.  The 
delegates  from  Latin  America  found  such  ignorance  here  of  the 
peoples,  institutions,  and  resources  of  their  countries,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  such  ignorance  on  their  part  of  the  real  characteristics 
of  the  United  States,  that  the  conference  authorized  the  opening  of 
what  might  be  called  an  International  Bureau  of  Information.  Sub- 
sequent conferences  enlarged  its  functions  until  now  it  bids  fair  to 
become  one  of  the  most  important  international  institutions  of  the 
world.  The  early  directors  exerted  their  best  efforts  for  the  welfare 
of  the  Bureau,  but  they  labored  under  the  handicap  of  lack  of  general 
interest.  Now  a  new  era  is  dawning  and  the  present  director,  no 
more  capable  than  his  predecessors,  finds  a  far  more  sympathetic 
constituency  to  aid  his  programme  of  reorganization  and  upbuilding. 

THE  PECULIAR  ORGANIZATION   OF   THE  INTERNATIONAL  BUREAU. 

The  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics  is  indeed 
unique.  It  is  the  only  office  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  is  the  head- 

0  Reprinted  from  "  System,"  Chicago,  March,  1908. 

91 


92 


LATIN  AMERICA. 


quarters  in  the  capital  of  one  American  nation  of  21  American  Re- 
publics. Its  director  is  the  only  international  officer  of  America 
chosen  by  the  vote  of  all  the  American  governments. 


MERCADO  DE  FILAR,  BUENOS  AIRES,  ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC. 

One  of  the  numerous  markets  of  the  city  of  Buenos  Aires.  The  stalls  and  stands  are  required  to  be 
kept  scrupulously  clean,  and  strict  hygienic  regulations  must  be  observed  in  the  sale  of  fruits, 
vegetables,  meats,  and  other  similar  products. 

The  Bureau  is  not  in  any  sense  subordinate  to  a  department  of  the 
United  States,  as  are  all  the  other  bureaus  of  Washington.  It  is 
strictly  independent,  and  its  chief  officer  is  responsible  to  the  21 
representatives  of  the  American  governments  who  constitute  its 


LATIN   AMERICA.  93 

governing  board  and  guide  its  policies.  This  board  lias  as  its  chair- 
man the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  inasmuch  as  the 
Bureau  is  located  in  Washington  and  its  relations  with  the  United 
States  Government  are  through  the  Department  of  State. 

The  contributions  of  all  the  American  republics,  based  on  popula- 
tion, give  it  financial  support.  Although  the  United  States  conse- 
quently pays  more1  than  the  other  20  combined,  the  minister  of  the 
smallest  nation  in  population  has  a  vote  in  its  governing  board  equal 
to  that  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States.  It  is  this 
feature  of  equal,  mutual  interest  and  authority  that  keeps  up  the 
pride  of  all  Latin  America  in  its  work  and  advancement.  The 
diplomat,  business  man,  or  traveler  from  Central  America  or  distant 
Argentina  and  Chile,  Avho  walks  into  the  Bureau  or  writes  to  its 
staff  for  information,  is  just  as  much  at  home  as  the  corresponding 
man  from  the  United  States. 

Out  of  the  total  12,000,000  square  miles  occupied  by.  the  American 
countries,  those  of  Latin  America  include  nearly  9,000,000  against 
3,000,000  of  the  United  States  proper.  Brazil  alone  exceeds  the  con- 
nected area  of  the  United  States  by  nearly  200,000  square  miles;  we 
could  put  all  of  the  United  States,  without  Alaska,  within  Brazil 
and  still  have  room  for  the  major  portion  of  the  German  Empire.  Of 
the  155,000,000  people  living  in  the  American  republics,  70,000,000 
reside  in  the  Latin-American  countries — certainly  enough  to  be 
worthy  of  our  close  study  and  of  our  sincere  friendship.  That  num- 
ber of  millions  can  also  buy  a  considerable  quantity  of  products  of 
other  countries  as  further  figures  will  demonstrate. 

The  total  foreign  commerce,  exports  and  imports,  of  the  21  Amer- 
can  republics,  including  the  United  States,  last  year  exceeded 
$5,000,000,000.  Of  this  huge  total,  Latin  America— too  often  despised 
by  our  business  men — bought  and  sold  products  valued  at  the  vast 
sum  of  over  $2,000,000,000,  or  more  than  one-third.  That  we  are 
getting  a  share  of  this,  which  proves  its  value,  is  admitted  when  it  is 
shown  that  our  portion  of  these  $2,000,000,000  was  $600,000,000  for 
the  past  year. 

This  immediately  suggests  the  question  to  the  manufacturer  and 
exporting  or  importing  reader  of  this  article :  "Am  I  getting  my  part 
of  this  ?  "  .  If  the  answer  is  "  No,"  then  he  should  write  to  the  Inter- 
national Bureau  of  the  American  Republics  and  find  out  why  not— 
and  how  he  may. 

THE    PERSONNEL    AND   ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    BUREAU. 

The  source  of  this  information  will  be  the  working  staff  of  the 
Bureau,  which  is  composed  of  about  25  persons.  These  are  divided 
into  administrative,  editorial,  translating,  statistical,  compiling,  and 


as 

*  a 

x  ~ 


8  5 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


95 


service  sections.  All  incoming  correspondence  is  supposed  to  be  ad- 
dressed "  The  Director,  Pan-American  Bureau,  2  Jackson  Place, 
Washington,  D.  C.,"  but,  whatever  way  it  may  be  directed,  it  is  given 
immediate  attention  and  sent  to  whatever  section  is  to  prepare  the 
answer. 

All  outgoing  letters  are  signed  by  either  the  director  or  by  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Bureau,  the  chief  clerk,  or  the  librarian,  as  the  case 
requires.  Careful  files  are  kept  of  correspondence,  and  it  is  the  rule 
of  the  Bureau  to  answer  all  inquiries  with  the  least  possible  delay. 
The  officer,  after  the  director,  having  general  supervision  of  the  work 
of  the  Bureau  is  its  secretary,  Dr.  Francisco  J.  Yanes,  an  accom- 


A  PORTION  OF  THE  NEW  DOCKS  AT  BUENOS  AIRES. 

plished  Latin- American  scholar  and  authority  on  the  material  and 
economic  conditions  of  the  American  republics. 

So  far  as  the  business  man  is  concerned,  the  Bureau  stands  ready 
to  aid  him  by  giving  facts  and  advice  regarding  any  subject  of  Ameri- 
can commerce. 

To  supply  every  kind  of  information  within  its  scope,  the  Inter- 
national Bureau  depends  first  on  its  library,  known  as  the  Columbus 
Memorial  Library,  of  over  15,000  volumes  covering  every  American 
nation  and  containing  the  best  individual  collection  of  Americana  in 
the  United  States;  second,  on  the  official  reports  of  all  American  gov- 
ernments, which  are  sent  to  it  in  accordance  with  the  resolution  of  the 
Pan-American  Conference ;  third,  on  the  official  gazette  and  private 


JOHN   BARRETT,   DIRECTOR  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL  BUREAU  AND  FORMER    MINISTER  TO 
SIAM,  THE  ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC,   PANAMA,  AND  COLOMBIA. 


LATIN   AMERICA. 


97 


newspapers,  trade  journals,  and  similar  publications  of  the  different 
capitals ;  fourth,  on  reports  of  American  consular  officers  in  the  form 
of  duplicate  copies  of  the  originals  sent  to  the  Department  of  State ; 
fifth,  on  handbooks  and  pamphlets  carefully  prepared  from  time  to 
time,  describing  the  resources,  progress,  conditions,  and  development 
of  the  different  countries;  and  sixth,  on  maps  and  geographic  data, 
as  prepared  by  official  and  private  agencies  and  persons. 


"INFERNILLO"  BRIDGE,  OROYA  RAILROAD,  PERU. 

This  bridge  is  at  an  altitude  of  10,924  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  received  its  name  from  the  gorge 
which  it  crosses  at  a  height  of  165  feet  above  the  foaming  waters  of  the  Rimac  River.  The  span  ia 
160  feet  in  length. 

All  this  material  is  thoroughly  classified  and  can  be  consulted  with- 
out delay.  The  library  is  open  to  responsible  people  from  9.30  a.  m. 
until  4  p.  m.  every  day,  and  books  are  loaned  for  brief  periods  to 
those  who  are  properly  accredited.  If  a  business  man,  student,  or 
traveler  addresses  any  inquiry  to  the  Bureau,  the  qualified  members  of 
its  staff  compile  from  the  data  just  described  the  necessary  reply; 
if  he  calls  in  person,  he  is  immediately  placed  in  touch  with  the  mem- 
88812—09 7 


98 


LATIN    AMERICA. 


ber  of  the  staff  who  can  best  assist  him,  and  provided  with  any  books, 
pamphlets,  reports,  maps,  or  other  matter  he  should  consult. 

THE    PRACTICAL    RESULTS    ATTAINED    BY    THE    BUREAU. 

One  or  two  illustrations  will  serve  to  show  the  business  man  how 
the  machinery  of  the  bureau  works  in  his  interest.  A  manufacturer 
of  automobiles  writes  or  calls  and  says  that  he  knows  nothing  con- 
cerning the  Latin-American  market,  but  that  he  is  contemplating 


entering  it  and  wants  to  ascertain  all  about  it. 


LOADING  COFFEE  AT  SANTOri,  BRAZIL,  THE  CHIEF  COFFEE  EX  POUTING  PORT  OF  THE 

REPUBLIC. 

Brazil's  exports  of  coffee  in  1907  amounted  to  $142,000,000,  of  which  over  $100,000,000  were  shipped  from 

Santos. 

The  director  or  secretary  acknowledges  his  letter  at  once,  giving 
some  comprehensive  ideas  and  forwarding  pamphlets  describing  gen- 
eral conditions  in  Latin  America  so  far  that  the  manufacturer  may 
gain  preliminary  information  on  the  field  he  is  studying. 

Then  one  of  the  statistical  or  trade  experts  of  the  Bureau  compiles 
a  memorandum  showing  present  imports  of  automobiles  to  Latin 
America,  country  of  origin,  conditions  of  demand  and  competition, 
character  of  roads  and  streets,  freight  charges,  shipping  facilities, 
tariff  or  customs  rates,  methods  of  payment,  climatic  effects  on  mate- 
rial, and  any  other  practical  data  that  would  be  useful  and  helpful. 


AMERICA. 


99 


A  traveler  who  has  never  visited'South'Aiaerica  wants  information. 
He  is  immediately  provided  with  handbooks  followed  by  a  memonm- 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT,  BUENOS  AIRES,  ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC. 


This  handsome  building  is  the  central  station  of  the  32  police  precincts  into  which  the  city  of  Buenos 
Aires  is  divided.  The  police  force,  consisting  of  about  4,000  officers  and  men,  is  supplemented  by  a 
mounted  squadron  of  100  gendarmes.  The  police  department  is  well  organized,  and  is  noted  for  the 


quickness  and  effectiveness  of  its  service. 


dum  describing  steamship  and  railway  lines,  cost  of  transportation, 
hotels,  principal  points  of  interest,  kind  of  money  used,  clothing 


100  LATIN:  AMERICA. 


required  for  clim%ite,:"aiid°  tilne^  heedefd  ^ior  different  journeys.  The 
university  professor,  student,  lecturer,  or  writer  seeks  the  best  mate- 
rial for  acquiring  information  on  Latin  America.  He  is  given  a 
practical  list  of  books  and  magazines  to  read  and  maps  to  secure,  with 
names  of  publishers  and  authors. 

And  so  I  might  go  on  and  on  giving  examples  of  the  constant  and 
increasing  evidences  of  the  good  work  the  Bureau  is  doing,  not  only 
along  material,  commercial,  and  economic  lines,  but  in  educational, 
social,  and  intellectual  directions.  Perhaps  it  suffices  to  add  here 
that  the  correspondence  of  the  Bureau  has  quadrupled  during  the  last 
eight  months  and  the  demands  for  its  printed  matter  has  grown  in 
proportion.  It  now  averages  nearly  3,000  letters  of  legitimate  inquiry 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  received  and  answered  each  month,  to- 
gether with  20,000  bulletins,  handbooks,  pamphlets,  and  circulars 
distributed  for  the  same  period. 

MAGAZINES   AND   VARIOUS   PUBLICATIONS    ISSUED    AS    HELPS    TO   BUSINESS. 

The  most  important  connection  between  the  Bureau  and  the  great 
commercial  interests  of  Pan- America  is  its  "  Monthly  Bulletin."  This 
is  issued  in  magazine  form  at  the  end  of  each  month  and  contains  the 
latest  official  data  from  all  the  American  republics  covering  exports 
and  imports,  trade  conditions,  tariff  changes,  public  improvements 
and  enterprises,  industrial  opportunities,  new  laws  affecting  com- 
merce, immigration,  and  mining  concessions,  and  other  kindred  infor- 
mation. It  may  be  obtained  by  paying  the  annual  subscription  of  $2 
in  the  American  republics  or  $2.50  in  non-American  countries. 

Aside  from  the  Monthly  Bulletin  the  bureau  has  for  sale  at  cost 
many  useful  handbooks  and  pamphlets,  together  with  others  which 
are  sent  free  upon  application.  There  is  a  printed  list  of  all  publica- 
tions that  will  be  immediately  forwarded  to  those  expressing  a  desire 
for  it. 

In  order  that  this  article  may  be  complete,  and  the  scope  and  im- 
portance of  this  institution  thoroughly  understood,  I  desire  to  quote 
from  the  resolutions  passed  at  the  last  Pan-American  Conference  held 
in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  during  1906,  and  made  memorable  by  the 
presence  of  Secretary  Root.  They  read : 

The  Third  International  Pan-American  Conference  resolves  to  continue  the  In- 
ternational Union  of  the  American  Republics  created  by  the  first  conference 
and  confirmed  by  the  second. 

The  purposes  of  the  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics,  which 
represent  said  union,  are  the  following : 

1.  To  compile  and  distribute  commercial  information  and  prepare  commercial 
reports. 

2.  To  compile  and  classify  information  respecting  the  treaties  and  conventions 
between  the  American  Republics  and  between  the  latter   and  non-American 
States. 


FRANCISCO  J.  YANES,  SECRETARY  OF  THE  GOVERNING  BOARD  AND  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL 

BUREAU. 


102 


LATIN    AME^IQA. 


3.  To  supply  information*  on  edubatl6h^!  ^natters. 

4.  To  prepare  reports  on  questions  assigned  to  it  by  resolutions  of  the  Inter- 
national American  Conferences. 

5.  To  carry  into  effect  all  resolutions  the  execution  of  which  may  have  been 
assigned  or  may  hereafter  be  assigned  to  it  by  the  International  American  Con- 
ferences. 

G.  To  act  as  a  permanent  committee  of  the  International  American  Con- 
ferences, recommending  topics  to  be  included  in  the  programme  of  the  next  con- 
ference ;  these  plans  must  be  communicated  to  the  various  governments  forming 
the  union  at  least  six  months  before  the  meeting  of  the  next  conference. 

7.  To  submit  within  the  same  period  a  report  to  the  various  governments  on 
the  work  of  the  bureau  during  the  term  covered  since  the  meeting  of  the  last 
conference  and  also  special  reports  on  any  matter  which  may  have  been 
referred  to  it  for  report. 

But  this  is  not  all  by  any  means.  In  a  report  on  the  Bureau 
recently  prepared  I  say : 

Further  resolutions,  which  placed  new  responsibilities  on  the  bureau,  pro- 
vided that  steps  should  be  taken  for  housing  the  institution  "  in  such  a  way  as 
shall  properly  permit  it  to  fulfill  the  important  functions  assigned  to  it  by  this 
conference;"  that  a  committee  should  be  appointed  in  each  republic  to  assist 
the  bureau  in  carrying  out  its  work ;  that  there  should  be  established,  as  sub- 
ordinate to  it,  a  special  section  for  commercial  statistics ;  that  the  bureau  should 
elaborate  the  project  for  providing  better  steamship  facilities  between  the  prin- 
cipal ports  of  the  American  Republics  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  trade, 
travel,  commerce,  and  reneral  communication ;  that  it  should  investigate  the 
question  of  the  Intercontinental  Railway  and  confer  with  the  different  govern- 
ments with  a  view  to  determining  as  soon  as  possible  what  concessions  of  land, 
subventions,  interest  guaranties,  exemptions  of  duty  on  material  for  construc- 
tion and  rolling  stock,  and  any  other  concessions  they  may  deem  it  advisable 
to  grant  in  connection  therewith ;  that  it  should  make  a  study  of  the  monetary 
systems  of  the  American  Governments  for  the  purpose  of  submitting  to  the  next 
conference  a  report  on  the  systems  in  force  in  each  of  the  Governments,  the 
history,  fluctuations,  and  type  of  exchange  which  have  taken  place  within  the 
last  twenty  years,  including  the  preparation  of  tables  showing  the  influence  of 
said  fluctuations  on  commerce  and  industrial  development;  that  it  should  study 
the  laws  that  regulate  public  concessions  in  the  various  republics  of  America, 
with  a  view  to  obtaining  information  that  might  be  useful  to  it;  and  that, 
iinally,  it  should  prepare  a  programme  for  the  Fourth  International  Conference, 
which  is  to  be  held  within  the  next  five  years. 

In  conclusion  I  desire  to  point  out  a  few  brief,  salient  facts  to  the 
business  man. 

I.  Over  1,000  manufacturers,  exporters,    and  importers    of    the 
United  States  have  decided,  during  the  last  two  years,  through  the 
recommendations  of  the  International  Bureau  of  American  Repub- 
lics, to  enter  the  Latin-American  field. 

II.  Correspondingly  a  large  element  of  Latin-American  business 
men  have  commenced  transactions  with  the  United  States  who  before 
knew  nothing  of  the  opportunities  here. 

III.  The  number  of  North  Americans  visiting  Latin  America  and 
of  Latin  Americans  visiting  North  America  has  been  greatly  increased 
by  the  Bureau. 


104 

IV.  The  study" ti£  me^Spa-hisli^l&iJgiiage  and  of  Latin-American 
history,  development,  and  present  conditions  has  been  inaugurated  in 
various  North-American  institutions  of  learning,  which  before  gave 
little  attention  to  those  subjects,  while  the  number  of  Latin-American 
young  men  coming  to  attend  schools  in  the  United  States  has  been 
notably  augmented. 

V.  Chambers  of  commerce,  boards  of  trade,  social  and  literary  clubs 
and  circles,  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  have  taken  steps,  under 
the  initiative  and  with  the  cooperation  of  the  Bureau,  to  familiarize 
their  members  with  Latin  America  as  they  have  in  the  past  with 
Europe  and  Asia. 

VI.  The  spirit  of  international  friendship  and  mutual  confidence 
among  all  the  American  republics  has  been  fostered  through  the  closer 
touch  one  with  another,  which  the  Bureau  affords  as  an  institution 
supported  by  all  and  in  whose  welfare  each  has  an  equal  interest  and 
responsibility.     It  must,  moreover,  not  only  oversee  the  acceptance 
of  the  resolutions  of  the  last  Pan- American  Conference,  but  drawT  up 
the  programme  for  the  one  which  will  assemble  in  1910. 

VII.  As  director,  or  chief  administrative  officer  of  the  Bureau,  I 
can  honestly  say  that,  while  it  has  many  shortcomings  and  the  task 
of  building  it  up  has  only  just  begun,  it  is  always  ready  to  give  Avhat 
information  and  assistance  it  legitimately  can  for  the  promotion  of 
Pan- American  trade,  accord,  and  intercourse,  and  it  hopes  the  readers 
of  Svstem  will  avail  themselves  of  its  facilities. 


o 


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